The Advantages of Group Work & Teamwork
Working in teams is a common part of the business environment and may be an approach you take as a business owner to achieve certain tasks, fulfill responsibilities or complete special projects. While it can be challenging for different personality types to work together to achieve a common goal, there are benefits for your company and your employees.
Shared Ideas Means Better Ideas
One of the main benefits of group work or a team environment is the ability to share ideas with the group. For example, let’s say there are several possible approaches to a project, and one of your employees is unsure which is the most efficient way to proceed. Team members can all weigh in with their ideas as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. This type of collaboration benefits the project and gives team members an outlet to bounce around ideas to find the best fit.
Whole Is Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts
Another key advantage of group work in the office is that it can increase efficiency. When a group attacks a project or task, they tend to get more work done than if an individual took on that task without any support. A group approach can also lead to cost savings for your business because it can increase productivity without requiring you to hire more employees. Group work also helps your business meet individual and team goals more quickly because more people are committed to each project.
Accountability for Weak Areas
Working as a team not only helps to showcase people's various strengths, but it can also help to shore up areas of weakness. You and your managers can assign tasks that play to the strengths of each employee. This means that every worker is matched to a job based on skills and talents, helping to create a stronger and more skilled workforce.
Improved Office Relationships
When people work together as a team, they not only become more invested in the project, they become more invested in each other as well. Team members support one another and adapt to each other's working styles. The team relationship may result in teamwork approaches even outside of the official team structure, resulting in employees lending a hand on other assignments and sharing ideas or brainstorms to propel one another along to reach personal and professional goals.
The team concept also helps build morale and motivation. When interpersonal relationships flourish, employees tend to feel more loyalty to your company and are more willing to buy into the corporate values and vision that underlie your business.
References
Writer Bio
Lynda Moultry Belcher is a writer, editor and public relations professional. She worked for a daily newspaper for 10 years and has been a freelance writer for more than 15 years. She has contributed to Divorce360 and Revolution Health Group, among other publications. She is also the author of "101 Plus-Size Women's Clothing Tips" and writes "Style At Any Size," a bi-weekly newspaper column.