Monday, October 5, 2009

Promote The Teamwork Mentality

By Lynn Lopez

Everybody knows that part of the success of a company is due in great part to the efficient and harmonious cooperation among the members of its many teams. People are all expected to pull together and work their way towards their objectives, providing solutions and ideas that would most help them attain their goals. Without a solid and cohesive team, you simply have a number of individuals forced into a group, each one of them doing what they think is best without properly coordinating their actions and formulating a strategy that would work best for everyone involved and with the company's welfare in mind.

However, even though teamwork is highly valuable, that doesn't mean that everybody automatically recognizes this, and it doesn't that everybody has a teamwork kind of mindset. In many companies, there will always be people who think, "It's every man for himself," and while they work hard, they don't necessarily engage in teamwork and are simply working to advance their own careers. These people are absolutely determined to climb their way to the top, and some of them even believe that working as part of a team only hinders their ascent.

If you are the head of a group, then you should see that one of your duties is to instill the value of teamwork in all your workers. The highly ambitious people in particular must learn that it is not all about them, and that being a team player and a part of highly effective team that exceeds its objectives adds to their value as a worker, giving them the opportunity for advancement that they seek.

If teamwork has never been your group's strongest suit, then you have to take measures to help them understand its value and benefits. Start by observing the various conflicts and issues that plague your group, and speak with the parties concerned in order to forge a solution that will work for everybody. Don't push people into forced social situations in an attempt to get them to like one another; this will only make them feel resentful and become resistant to such efforts which they may perceive as trite, and consider this a solution that doesn't tackle the root issues.

Most importantly, in instilling the teamwork mentality, you don't need to drive it repeatedly in people's heads that, "We must have teamwork! We must learn to work well together!" Make sure that, in a project, everybody has an opportunity to pull his or her weight and be able to contribute to its success. Clarify the goals, and let them know how vital each member's roles are. When people understand what their purpose is, it will definitely encourage them to put more effort into their work.

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