Teamwork is already practiced at school, where teachers divide students into groups and assign them tasks to perform. The assumption is that they want each of them to contribute something and show their creativity. As a result, however, it often turns out that only part of the group works and performs the entire task for everyone.

In adult life, teamwork obviously looks completely different, and the tasks undertaken by the group require greater responsibility, but this does not change the fact that, just like at school – not everyone is always in order and work does not always look as it should. . It cannot be denied that this way of performing tasks has both advantages and disadvantages.

Thanks to teamwork, we can achieve much better results from our activities. Let’s imagine that someone wants to have their own house. If he decided to build it himself from start to finish, it would take a lot of time and energy, and there may be tasks that not everyone is able to cope with. However, all you need to do is hire a construction team composed of people who know their job very well and cooperate well, and your dream walls will be built faster than expected. Usually, when we talk about teamwork, we think about creative professions and the division of project tasks, but the above example shows that a well-selected team is also necessary in physical work.

Definitely one of the greatest advantages of teamwork is the ability to unleash creativity in each group member. Brainstorming is often extremely helpful in all kinds of projects. Someone will feel blocked, but one opinion from another person is enough for an avalanche of ideas to flow. Even if the idea is irrational, it can contribute to the creation of something great. Joint deliberations, planning and creation can have a great impact on the final shape of the task.

A big advantage of teamwork is also the division of duties and responsibilities that fall on the performer. If the project is to be handled by several people, it is obvious that everything should go much faster than if the work were done alone. Additionally, there are as many people as there are talents and skills, so if parts of the task are assigned to the right people, the project should achieve the highest level. Everyone puts their talent and commitment into it.

Usually, the presence of other people and the fact that someone is constantly monitoring our progress makes us not want to seem lazy or ineffective. Therefore, our activity increases and we do our work faster and more efficiently. We don’t want to be misjudged by the rest of the group, and we certainly don’t want to cause the project to fail.

Moreover, if the team is well-selected and its members like and respect each other, working in such an atmosphere is definitely better and more effective. Tension and stress are much lower, which makes it simply more enjoyable for us, and we no longer treat work as an obligation. It is worth mentioning and remembering that many employees value a good atmosphere over money when it comes to motivation to work.

However, it cannot be denied that teamwork does not always look so rosy. It is difficult to work in a group with individualists who are reluctant to share their knowledge that could help. Some people simply cannot cooperate in a group and want all the credit to be given to them, so they make the work harder to show that they could do it much better on their own. Of course, it’s not always about being malicious and showing who works better. Some people simply find it more enjoyable and efficient to work alone, which makes teamwork a real grind.

Another factor that can cause teamwork to fail is poorly selected people in the group. It may happen that almost everyone wants to be a leader, so frustration and conflicts increase, and yet no one actually leads the team well. The best solution is to choose a leader before the project starts and have the management team perform this task. In this case, it may be a mistake for the group to nominate a leader – the very moment of selection may cause arguments and understatements.

A poorly selected leader who is unable to delegate tasks and control the work of the entire group may be equally unfavorable. Its members will certainly feel that something is going wrong due to poor management. If such voices appear, it is worth considering changing the leader.

The larger the group of people, the more often it may happen that one of the team members will try not to do too much and pretend to be working. Such a person is convinced that the task will be completed anyway, so he or she may use the time spent working together for laziness.

The team consists of different personalities. Each of them has its own pace of work, which may not please others. Thus, lively people may get angry when someone does everything carefully and slowly, or vice versa – careful people who don’t waste their time may get irritated with someone who does everything in a hurry and starts many tasks at the same time. Conflicts may also arise in this area.

The most important thing in teamwork is mutual respect and good communication. This will certainly make your work more efficient. Respect for other people’s time is also important. It is worth not being late for meetings and completing the points of the mutual plan. Teamwork can really help you get things done, but creating the right, well-aligned group certainly takes time.

Source:https://poradnikpracownika.pl/-praca-zespolowa-poznaj-jej-wady-i-zalety

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.