Teamwork is now an integral part of any business workplace. Whether it’s a small business or a big one, there needs to be teamwork in order to get the job done. The benefits are huge as it can result in better workplace cohesion, higher productivity, and innovation and enhanced problem-solving.

With teamwork everyone has to work together in order to achieve whatever goal has been set. It’s really a collaborative effort with shared responsibility. Simply put the success of the one is based on the success of the many.

Promoting teamwork in the business workplace is essential for success. Many businesses have found that it can really drive the business forward and make it flexible, competitive and grow faster. That’s hardly surprising since teamwork enhances individual abilities and combines them with others to the best advantage.

If you want to promote or enhance the teamwork that’s already in place in your business there are a few things you need to do in order to make it work.

•  Understand what teamwork is and the benefits that you will get from it. It all starts from this. If you don’t know what teamwork is and what it can do for you then there’s no way you will be able to spread this system to the rest of your business workplace.

As they say lead by example. If your employees see that you don’t even know or understand the concept of teamwork then they may not accept it or work with it. You need to show them that you are committed to making this work so they will also feel that they need to be as committed to it as you are.

•  Share your vision to the rest of the workplace. Getting people to work together isn’t going to work if they don’t have a shared vision or goal to work for. If you don’t tell them what you want the business to achieve then they will be in the dark and confused as to what direction they need to go to or how they will play a part in all of this.

This also includes setting the goals that everyone will aspire to. If you do this everyone will be on the same playbook. This means everyone will have the same goal to go after. If the rest of your workplace doesn’t have a clue then they won’t have the motivation to work together since they don’t know for what purpose they need to work together for.

•  Know what can impede teamwork. This means communicating with the workforce and determining what may derail the teamwork train. Are there any issues that can prevent people under you from working with one another?

If there are any grudges or animosity between your people it may cause a lot of in-fighting and confrontation that will disrupt the efficient running of your business. It is best to know these things so that you can plan what you need to do in order to alleviate the issues.

•  Communication development. Getting people connected to one another is an important aspect to developing good teamwork. Without it many will be in the dark as to what is happening or what needs to be done.

With good communication, you will be able to exchange ideas that can solve problems that may come up. You can get inputs from other members that will not only create synergy and innovation but also help create a trust between each member.

•  Trust building. Of course, teamwork won’t be effective if the members involved in the ‘team’ don’t trust one another. A way for you to encourage trust is to listen to their inputs and allow them to make suggestions.

Doing this will show them that they are an integral part of the ‘team.’ Another good way would be for you to recognize valuable contributions when necessary. If milestones are met then you should recognize it and let your people know.

This will give then satisfaction for a job well done. At the same time they will see that their hard work will be recognized and so it will motivate them, even more, to do a better job on the next project and so on.

You can also do social activities that promote camaraderie and closeness. This could be a workplace social party that will let everyone relax and share information about one another. It will also let each one know about the others. This will create a bond and thus make your people feel closer and tighter.

Have team building exercises. This doesn’t have to be on a daily basis but it should be regular. These exercises show members the importance of teamwork. At the same time it also creates the opportunity for members who participate in these types of exercises to bond resulting in more closeness and cohesiveness.

•  Don’t micromanage. Doing so may sound like a good idea because you will always be in control of things but it can backfire and derail the teamwork. Micromanaging shows members that you don’t trust them and remember, trust is an important aspect of teamwork.

Delegate as much authority and work as you can. Remember, you have a team at your disposal. Letting each one work on a part of the whole will make the work go faster and more efficiently. At the same time, you show that you trust them because you are giving them more responsibility. It’s the whole shared responsibility idea.

You may also want to relax as well. Rules are there but they should be flexible. Often, a more relaxed and flexible atmosphere is better in fostering teamwork than a rigid one that has to follow everything by the book.

While you’re busy with promoting or developing teamwork in your workplace do be aware of the issues of that very system. While it does have its advantages, teamwork also has its disadvantages.

One of them is the free-rider effect. This is where some members simply lay back and wait for the rest of the members to finish the whole thing then get part of the credit for it. It can break down morale if others see that they get something for doing nothing. What will happen is that no one will do anything anymore after that thereby breaking down the whole teamwork concept.

Then there’s the conflict. Even if you think things are already ironed out – it isn’t. When egos come into play so will animosity. It can lead to a confrontation which can then disrupt the whole process. While a little conflict is to expected big ones and ones that go beyond trying to find solutions isn’t.

Then there’s the fact that not everyone is comfortable when working in teams. Some people are just not social and working as a team in a teamwork environment requires interaction. If that were the case then these people won’t be able to function well. This can be detrimental to the whole team effort.

Done right teamwork can be a big boon to any business entity. It can give results that can really make the difference between a loss and a win. The ways to promote teamwork can vary and you don’t have to do it all in one go.

Teamwork can’t be built in a day. It takes some time and patience until the results can be seen.

What’s your teamwork strategy in your business? Comment below.