A student diligently completing his years of study can only imagine or see the real world out there from the eyes of others or the fables. The transition of working instead of studying and facing bosses or managers rather than teachers can be intimidating. The same was going on with Vaibhav when he completed his graduation, the anxiousness was clouding him and he had no idea how to get ahead of it. It is when he thought of his uncle, Sivaranjan, who is a seasoned professional with one of the major corporations in India. Sivaranjan is greasing Vaibhav’s wheels to cover all the bases of the corporate world.
Uncle, I am on the brink to experience the real world, hurled Vaibhav.
I am pretty sure you are Vaibhav, confirmed Sivaranjan. Please walk me through the grounds we have covered so far. We have successfully dug into the myths and realities of professionalism, the power of effective communication skills, the importance of nonverbal communication – body language, power dressing, effective verbal communication, introduction to written communication, email etiquette, the importance of values, and how building habits shape our lives.
Right, let’s go the distance and uncover something compelling today with a story, said Sivaranjan.
A company held an event for around 35 employees. They were a team of enthusiastic, bright, and dedicated employees. However, the only problem was that this team did not share information or anything among themselves. The manager felt that they were too focused on working in silos instead of as a team.
So he came up with a fun activity to teach them the importance of collaboration and teamwork. They all were asked to gather in the cafeteria where all the chairs and tables were stacked and kept away. All they could see there were hundreds of different colored balloons. They had no idea about the activity, however, they were pumped to participate and have fun.
There was a box of balloons in the center of the room and the manager asked each of the employees to pick one up, blow it and write their name on it. Within minutes the room was filled with balloons with the names on them. Now the manager scattered all the balloons to mix them.
The team was instructed to find the balloons with their names on them and they had only fifteen minutes to find them, and if the balloons popped, the ones with their names on them would be disqualified. The team had to be careful and quick to find the one with their name on it. The room was filled with chaos, shouts, and pops. The fifteen minutes were over and none of them was able to find their balloon.
The manager instructed the team members to find a balloon with a name on it and give it to the person whose name was on it. Within a few minutes, each member of the team had their own balloon with their name on it.
“We are much more efficient when we are willing to share with each other,” said the manager. And we are better problem solvers when we work together rather than individually.”
Vaibhav, teamwork can simply work and amplify the productivity of the work. Every organization has shared goals and objectives, and it takes more than one employee to work in a symphony to achieve them.
Let’s understand the nitty-gritty of teamwork, said Sivaranjan.
What Is Teamwork?
When a group of people work cooperatively and efficiently toward a common goal or to achieve a specific goal, this is referred to as teamwork. A work environment that values teamwork encourages employees to develop trust in their colleagues and to maintain professional integrity. The positive climate created by collaboration fosters strong bonds among employees and capitalizes on their unique talents.
Working collaboratively with others to develop your interpersonal skills can prepare you for future leadership roles or even help you transition to another field. Teamwork can also be advantageous by
- Aligning team members: As team members get to know one another, they establish supportive bonds that help them align their goals and motivate them to work harder to support one another.
- Bringing different perspectives to the table: It allows teams to use problem-solving skills and consider various angles to make more informed decisions.
- Providing prompt feedback: Team members can share ideas, inform each other’s actions, benefit from different skills, and use each other’s expertise to adjust actions and provide more consistent output.
- Improving productivity: A team can boost productivity by reducing the overall shared workload, pressure, and accountability on an individual.
- Supporting professional development: Team members learn from one another as they collaborate. They appreciate each other’s contributions and can put their already powerful skills to use while developing their underdeveloped skills with the help of others.
According to studies, organizations that emphasize teamwork innovate and spot mistakes faster, find better solutions to problems and achieve higher productivity.
Now interdependence is one of the many principles that build cooperation and collaboration in an organization. In an interdependent work environment, somebody’s input is your output and your input becomes someone’s output, more like working together and making headway toward the shared goals.
For example, if you look up cricket or football, working together as a team contributes to winning the game. When there are so many players on the team, a robust sense of collaboration and coordination matters the most. Being a part of a team in the office demands you to know your peers and be 100% invested in the overall success of the organization.
Working together boosts productivity and performance and it requires you to lean on your team for motivation and support all along. Salespeople, for example, thrive on healthy competition, but they close more deals and benefit the organization when they work as a team, said Sivaranjan.
For our projects in college, our lecturers used to divide us into teams. We used to brainstorm together and reach a conclusion as a team. It made us think quickly, implement ideas significantly, and present our projects more extensively. Also, it was fun to work together and gather different perspectives and ideas, added Vaibhav.
Yes, the beauty of working together is that you have others (your team) on your side, smiled Sivaranjan.
Shall we put down roots on the grounds that make us work together, Vaibhav? – asked Sivarajan.
Sure, uncle, let’s dig in! – said Vaibhav.
Payoffs Of Teamwork In The Workplace
Vaibhav, do you remember the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21? – asked Sivaranjan
Ohh that match! It was the epic series win, I was at the edge of my chair the entire time, said Vaibhav.
Yes, Team India, despite a slew of injuries and the absence of talismanic captain Virat Kohli, defeated Australia for the second time in two years in a Test series to retain the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The Indian cricket team, led by Ajinkya Rahane, defeated the Australian team by three wickets in the fourth and final Test in Brisbane to win the four-match series 2-1. As a result, India made history by becoming the first team to defeat Australia at The Gabba in over 32 years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the team’s “brilliant team spirit” and “hard work” in Australia, which enabled them to “gloriously” win the series. “We got good news from the cricket field this month. After some hiccups, the Indian team bounced back magnificently and won the series in Australia. “The hard work and teamwork of our team were inspiring,” PM Modi said in ‘Mann Ki Baat.’
When the people in a team understand each other, and their responsibilities, and firmly decide to play their part, nothing can stop them from succeeding. Working together as a team creates a perfect synergy to make anything possible.
Let’s find out how working together sprouts success.
It increases work efficiency
According to statistics, employees who work as a team complete tasks much faster and more efficiently than those who work alone. Working on different assignments as a team reduces workloads for all employees by sharing ideas and responsibilities.
It enhances learning opportunities
Employees in an organization vary in terms of their work experience, expertise, and skills. Collaboration allows these employees to interact with one another while working on a project. This interaction is a great learning opportunity for new employees because they can learn skills from more experienced employees that they did not have before.
It brings out hot-off-the-press ideas
According to a McKinsey study, teams with diverse backgrounds (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.) are more creative and perform better by up to 35%. Instead of looking at an issue from your point of view, you can see the big picture. This results in an exponential increase in the number of new ideas.
Furthermore, when people work alone, their motivation to innovate may wane. When you’re part of a team, however, the sense of collaboration and accountability motivates employees to consistently deliver their best work.
Peer recognition makes the team members go the extra mile
Receiving appreciation from your coworkers is critical in the workplace. However, we significantly underestimate its effectiveness in engaging employees. Without the necessary peer connection, an individual working alone will not only feel demotivated but also underappreciated. Receiving proper respect and recognition from coworkers is a significant way to motivate your employees to go the extra mile.
Group cohesion
It is critical for successful businesses. Individuals will be more likely to apply their efforts for their own benefit rather than the benefit of your company if it is not present. And with everyone focusing on slightly different goals, your project – and your business – will suffer.
Vaibhav, if you delve a little deeper, you will realize that teamwork is a bonding agent that brings people together and encourages them to rely on one another to get things done. Teamwork makes progress a cakewalk and allows team members to get past the obstacles, explained Sivaranjan.
Remember Vaibhav, “The strength of the team is each individual employee. The strength of each employee is the team.” Teamwork is just like creating a spark of fire, it takes two flints to make fire. If you keep the spirit of teamwork ablaze, you will always find your way to success.
Yes, uncle, I fathom the importance of working together for organizational success. I will work on being an excellent team player and a team leader one day, said Vaibhav.
That’s the spirit, Vaibhav, said Sivaranjan with a spark in his eye.
https://getsling.com/blog/importance-of-teamwork/
https://blog.vantagecircle.com/importance-of-teamwork/
https://www.dockethq.com/resources/importance-of-teamwork-in-your-organization/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170114-the-125-year-old-network-that-keeps-mumbai-going
https://www.multicall.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LinkedIn_1024_SecretTeam.png
Written By: Jimmy Jain
Edited By: Afreen Fatima
Society of Design Thinking Professionals
