Elements for Effective Teamwork
![An effective team is greater than the sum of its parts.](http://l.hdnux.com/600x600p/hearst-images.s3.amazonaws.com/80/173/fotolia_4419226_XS.jpg)
Teamwork is essential for small businesses to take on new challenges and perform strategic tasks. Teams pull the knowledge and experience of a diverse group of employees together to accomplish a short-term or ongoing task. Teamwork is as much a science as it is an art; some teams work extremely well together, while others seem to fall apart or actually hinder progress. Knowing the elements for effective teamwork can help you to build and maintain high-performance teams throughout your organization.
Commitment and Trust
All members of a high-impact team must be fully committed to achieving the team's mission and goals. Each member must devote a reasonable amount of time and energy to advancing the team's mission and must be able to trust that all other team members are doing the same. Mistrust stemming from unbalanced workloads can lead to petty political moves, such as high performers slacking off to close the gap between team member outputs.
Open Lines of Communication
Effective teams must have open lines of communication. Communication must be honest and flow between all team members equally. Team members who understand each other's unique communication styles, or who agree on a single style of communication from the outset, are more likely to move the team in a productive direction that everyone understands and supports. Team members must never be hesitant to communicate with other members about issues and concerns, as well as new ideas or personal observations.
Diversity of Capabilities
Teams that possess a wide range of professional competencies can be more fully equipped to meet a wide range of challenges. When building teams, take time to ensure that each team member possesses skills and strengths that complement the skills, strengths and weaknesses of other team members. Bringing together people with common skill-sets can lead to a great deal of discussion with little subsequent action. Ensuring that each team member possesses a unique specialty allows team members to trust each other for certain aspects of performance, while fully understanding what their own contribution is expected to be.
Adaptable to Changing Conditions
High-powered teams must be flexible and adaptable to changing conditions. Team strategies, goals, tasks, workflows and even members can change over the life of the team. Team members should be able to rally together and meet new challenges head-on, rather than splintering into idealogical factions or banding together to resist change. Change is an unavoidable part of modern business, and the most effective teams have the ability to roll with the punches and change the way they work together on the fly.
Confidence and Creative Freedom
All team members should feel free to think creatively – to try new things and fail without the fear of consequences. This aspect of teamwork brings together all of the other elements for effective teamwork. Team members must trust that others will listen openly to their ideas, they must be able to confidently and openly communicate their new ideas, they must be trusted enough in their area of expertise to lead the way in new initiatives and they must be adaptable enough to accommodate the changes inherent in bringing new ideas to realization.
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Writer Bio
David Ingram has written for multiple publications since 2009, including "The Houston Chronicle" and online at Business.com. As a small-business owner, Ingram regularly confronts modern issues in management, marketing, finance and business law. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts in management from Walsh University.