Teamwork Overview

Most jobs require that employees are able and willing to work well with others.  When someone works well with others, it means they are a "team player."  Team players are employees who listen to and show respect for other people’s ideas and opinions.  Team players offer to help when it is needed, and they are reliable—this means that their co-workers and supervisors can count on them to do what they are supposed to do at work.  

In some cases, employees might need to work on a team to get the job done.  When people work on a team, they are all working towards a shared goal. Each person contributes to the goal by doing the tasks that they are supposed to do.  When everyone on the team does this, then the team can achieve their shared goal.

Teamwork can happen in many different ways:

• A team of people share thoughts ("brainstorm" together) to come up with an agreed-upon idea.  
  
  
• A team of people divide up different parts of a project.  Each person completes their part, and then the team brings all the parts together again.
  
  
• A team of people have different tasks to do to repair or make a product.  When they each do their tasks accurately and on time, the product is repaired or made.  
   
• A team of people work together in order to serve a customer.  When each team member does their task accurately and on time, then the customer gets what they want.
   
• A team of people work together to complete a physical task (i.e. building, painting, lifting, cleaning). 

Some companies believe that teamwork is necessary, and they require that their employees work together to achieve a goal.

Why is teamwork important?

• Some tasks can be done more quickly by a team of people. 
  
  
• Different people have different strengths and talents - when they all work together, then the outcome (product or result) might be of higher quality or value.
  
  
• Different people have different perspectives and life experiences - when they all work together, then the outcome might be of higher quality or value.
  
  
• Some tasks are physically impossible to complete without a team of people (i.e. construction work, medical care, restaurant service).
  
  
• Teamwork can teach people many important social skills - how to listen to and consider the perspectives and ideas of others, how to appropriately work through disagreement, and how to support and encourage team members. 
  

Here are examples of how teamwork might happen within different jobs:

Job: What is their shared goal? How do they work together? Computer Repair Workers To repair a damaged computer. Two people work together to figure out what is wrong with a computer. Construction Workers  To build a well-made, safe bridge. A construction crew works together to carry and assemble materials. Cook, Waiter, Bus Boy in a restaurant To make sure that the customers enjoy their meals. A cook makes the food, a waiter serves the food to the customers, and a bus boy cleans the tables.  Custodians To clean each office in the building. One custodian mops the floor, while the other cleans the windows.  They take turns doing jobs so the same person does not always have to complete a less-preferred task. House Painters To paint the entire house. Each painter paints a different part of the room or house. Mechanics To repair the damaged engine. Two mechanics work on a car engine to figure out what is wrong. Pharmacy Technicians To help the pharmacist prepare correct medications for customers. They take turns counting tablets, labeling bottles, answering phones, or stocking shelves. Production Line Workers To assemble or make a product. Each person in the line completes their task, and then passes the product on to the next person.  College Professors To publish their paper in a journal. A professor writes a research paper with several colleagues. Teachers To support and educate students in the school. Teachers plan lessons together and they share information about students. Video Game Designers To produce a video game that can be marketed and sold. Designers work together to agree on a game idea.  They work together to create content for the video game.

Even though teamwork is important (and even required) at certain jobs, it can be hard to work on a team sometimes. 

Why is teamwork sometimes difficult? 

• Different people have differing ideas about how things should be done.  It can be hard to accept other people’s ideas sometimes.
  
  
• Some people might not agree with all of your ideas and opinions. 
  
  
• When you are on a team, the team divides up tasks so that each person has different responsibilities.  You might not always get to do all of the tasks that you want to do.  You might have to do some tasks that you do not want to do.
  
  
• You might not be in charge of the team; you might not have control over everything that happens on this team.   This means you might have to follow other people’s directions / instructions sometimes.
  
  
• When you are on a team, you have to communicate clearly with others.
  
  
• When you are on a team, you have to be respectful and polite, even if you don’t agree with someone. 
  
  
• When you are on a team, you have to depend on other people to get their tasks done.  If they don’t get their tasks done, this might affect your ability to get your task done. 
  
  
• This also means that other people are depending on you to do your tasks!
  
  
• If you or someone else does not get their tasks done, then they let the whole team down.

Teamwork - How to be a Team Player

Teamwork is an important part of many jobs.  In many cases, teamwork can help employees get the job done faster and better.  By working in a team, many different perspectives and ideas are generated rather than just one person coming up with an idea.  Work can also be divided up between team members to make a large project more manageable.

Sometimes it can be fun to work with other people and work on a team.  You can talk to others and get to know them.  You can also learn from others and see their perspective on a project.  However, it can be hard to work on a team sometimes.  It is okay to feel a little anxious, frustrated, or confused when you work on teams.  Everyone feels this way sometimes.   
Some teams might not succeed in accomplishing their goals.  This usually happens because the team "breaks down" (stops working together) somehow.  There are a number of reasons why some teams "break down." 

Why do teams "break down" sometimes?

• When people stop showing respect for one another—this means they stop showing that they are listening to and considering the ideas of others.
  
  
• When the team can’t agree on a particular idea, goal, or direction. 
  
  
• When some team members don’t complete the tasks that they were supposed to do.
  
  
• When one team member cannot "get along" with the rest of the group.
  
  
• When there are too many people trying to be in charge of the team - in most cases, there can only be one "leader" on a team.