Teamwork in the workplace: 11 benefits (with examples)

Summary

Teamwork is when a group of individuals works together toward a collective goal in an efficient manner. Read on to learn the 11 top benefits of teamwork in the workplace and examples for each.

Teamwork is one of the most important tools when it comes to organizational efficiency. Though we can all agree that teamwork is important, not everyone realizes just how impactful it is in the workplace.

Teamwork in the workplace is when a group of individuals works together toward a collective goal in an efficient manner. When multiple people work together toward a common goal, your business can flourish.

We’ve rounded up 11 of the top benefits of teamwork in the workplace. Plus, we’ve included examples throughout to help you better understand just how important teamwork is. Ready to work on teamwork? Let’s dive in.

1. Teamwork cultivates effective communication

Communication is at the forefront of effective teamwork. In order to work together—whether when ideating or working on a new project—you need to communicate to create cohesion and clear goals.

Communication starts by building camaraderie and team synergy . A great way to do this is by organizing team building activities. This could be a quick icebreaker at the beginning of a meeting or a whole day spent solving fictional problems with teammates.

A successful team that demonstrates clear communication is more efficient and productive. Not to mention it creates an enjoyable work environment.

Communication example: Daniella and Kabir are working on a project task together. Kabir is confused when reviewing the project notes so he messages Daniella to ask for help. They hop on a quick call and work through the problem together. By working as a team, they effectively communicated and were able to complete the task the same day.

Tip: Take communication one step further by keeping tasks and collaboration in a shared digital space. That way everyone can stay on the same page no matter where they are.

2. Teamwork improves brainstorming

Brainstorming is a powerful method that helps teams think outside of the box. It involves individuals working together by communicating ideas for a number of initiatives. These could include projects, processes, products, and services.

Good teamwork means your team communicates and feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Without teamwork, your brainstorming sessions could suffer, and, in turn, so could your team’s quality and performance.

To build your team’s brainstorming capabilities, take time to build trust with each individual on your team. You can do this by connecting in a one on one setting regularly and encouraging team members to share their insights.

Brainstorming example: Kat needs to come up with three design ideas for a new landing page. Instead of ideating by herself, she asks the team to join in on a brainstorming session. Since there are many team members sharing ideas, Kat receives more than enough ideas to get started.

Tip: Check out 29 brainstorming techniques to help spark creativity within your team.

3. Teamwork encourages a common goal

Having a common goal in mind is essential when it comes to prioritizing projects and new initiatives. With multiple team members working on individual tasks, a project goal helps keep deliverables aligned and ensures objectives are met.

There are a number of ways you can communicate a goal in a way that both empowers teamwork and encourages collaboration. These include:

Business case : A business case is a document that details the value of a project or initiative. This ensures each team member has the same starting point before diving into a project.

Team meeting: Meetings are a great way to get your team in one place to communicate expectations and work together. Having an initial meeting—as well as a post mortem meeting once the project is over—can help determine deliverables and ensure objectives were met.

Timeline software : Timeline tools can help your team visualize the work you need to complete and how you’ll hit your project goals. Clarifying task due date and dependencies unlocks teamwork and allows team members to thrive.

Goal-oriented example: Kat is leading a meeting on a new process that’s being put into place. Kabir asks what the purpose of the process is. Kat explains that they’ll be adding a new tool to their scheduling process to automate some of the team’s work about work, like tedious and time consuming tasks. Now, the team understands the underlying goal.

Tip: Align tasks to goals using goal-setting software that helps you achieve progress and keeps team members on the right track every step of the way.

4. Teamwork improves problem solving skills

Problems can be difficult to solve on your own. That’s why working together as a team can offer quicker and often more effective solutions.

Not only does this help create an efficient process for problem solving, but using teamwork creates shared goals.

Problem solving example: Project manager Kat finds out there is an issue with image implementation that’s postponing the project launch date. Instead of trying to solve it alone, she enlists her team in a brainstorming session to come up with solutions. Because she asked her team for help, she is able to co-create a solution in just an hour as opposed to what could have taken days by herself.

Tip: Practice problem solving as a group by using team building activities to motivate your team members to feel confident in their solutions.

5. Teamwork helps build trust

Trust in the workplace is something that is built over time. It takes transparent communication, one-on-one sessions, and support to build that trust with team members.

A team that trusts each other feels comfortable communicating ideas, collaborating in the workplace , and growing individual strength. Not just that, but they also feel a sense of belonging within the group.

With teamwork, trust is built by relying on one another for the good of the team. Without teamwork, team members could feel isolated and competitive about work and performance.

Trust example: Ray has a task that’s overdue. His manager, Kabir, offers to sit down with him and offer support. Afterward, Ray feels relieved and has the confidence to complete the task. Next time he has an issue, he knows he can reach out to Kabir for support.

Tip: Connect with your team on more than just work. Figuring out what makes them unique is a great way to build trust over time.

6. Teamwork improves company culture

Most companies strive for good organizational culture , but it’s not as easy as having chats at the water cooler or a monthly pizza party. Company culture involves making your team members feel heard and empowered to do their best work while offering them work-life balance and an overall enjoyable work environment.

To build culture, encourage teamwork and camaraderie. Spending time with one another can help build this bond and, in turn, improve working relationships and culture around the (virtual) office.

Culture example: Kabir’s team has a huddle every Monday where they share what they did over the weekend and any upcoming projects for the week. Since they get to talk about both personal and work-related topics, the team enjoys their Monday meeting. In fact, communication and overall culture have improved since the team began meeting on Mondays.

Tip: Build shared values by giving team members the opportunity to share the values they think are important.

7. Teamwork creates efficiency

From communicating effectively to improving company culture, teamwork drives many benefits. Among the many, creating team efficiency is one of the most important benefits. When it comes to organizational growth, almost nothing is as effective as streamlined efficiency. This is because efficiency helps drive innovative results while keeping quality consistent.

An efficient team works together to quickly manage problems and daily tasks. As a result, efficient teams use resources more effectively and reach their deliverables faster.

Efficiency example: There’s a new project on the horizon for Ray and his team. Ray’s first instinct was to ask Kat, his senior specialist, to tackle it since she’s the best fit to handle the task. After analyzing the difficulty of the project, he decides to have his entire team tackle the project together. To his surprise, they complete the project in just half the initial timeline.

Tip: To encourage efficiency across projects, align your team on one work management tool. That way, everyone can clearly see the goals you’re working towards, the timeline for that work, and who's responsible for what.

8. Teamwork increases employee engagement

Teamwork should be enjoyable. It’s a way to not only complete your work in a more effective way but to also have fun while doing so. With teamwork, your team members will be happier and more engaged in the long run.

To increase employee engagement, encourage teamwork inside and outside of work. Schedule time for your team to connect about more than just work. Your team will feel more open when working in a group which leads to a higher retention rate.

Engagement example: Kat’s team has been working hard on a top priority project. Unfortunately, issues arose and now they have to stay late to finish the project before the weekend. Kat knows that she needs to do something to keep the team’s spirits and energy up. She decides to start the evening with a team building activity. This immediately engages the team and gets everyone excited to put their heads together and finish the project off strong.

Tip: Make your virtual meetings more engaging by starting them off with a quick ice breaker question to lighten up the mood.

9. Teamwork motivates high performing teams

Having accountability motivates you and your team to perform at their best. Teamwork creates this accountability and also motivates individuals to share their ideas with the greater group. This helps push teams to do and be their very best.

The higher performing each team member is, the higher performing your overall team will be. That means high quality work created in an efficient way. Not only is a high performing team good for your company but it also helps job satisfaction as doing well will motivate individuals to continue growing their skillset.

High performing example: It’s team review time and Kat gets a shoutout at the all hands for being a superb team member after implementing a new process to increase productivity. Kabir, a new team member, feels empowered to work hard and receive a superb review next quarter.

Tip: High performing teams are usually made up of individuals who seek motivation from within, otherwise known as intrinsic motivation .

10. Teamwork develops individual strengths

Teamwork isn’t just about team success—it also supports individual development as well. Team members who grow their individual knowledge can then share that with others during future projects.

The result: Individual team members growing their own strengths as well as the strengths of the team. These could include your ability to problem solve, effectively communicate , and combat procrastination—all of which are important skill sets to develop in the workplace.

Individual strengths teamwork example: Kabir is new to the team and working on his first task. He’s a little stuck so he reaches out to a team member for help. Kat shares her tips on how she works on a similar task. She even shares a tool that Kabir didn’t know about. This helps him complete the task more efficiently.

Tip: If a team member can complete a task just as well as you could, delegate it without intervening. This allows your team members to grow their individual strengths and skills.

11. Teamwork improves decision making skills

While problem solving and decision making sound similar, decision making skills are all encompassing. To be good at decision making, you need the confidence to make quick decisions based on the knowledge you’ve gathered in your role.

Teamwork helps improve these skills by encouraging team members to answer questions and make decisions in real time. It’s important to give your team the autonomy to make these decisions on their own in order to help build these skills amongst themselves.

Decision making teamwork example: Kabir is leading his first team meeting for a new project. As he’s explaining the upcoming timeline and deliverables, an executive asks who will be working on the project. Kabir is quick to answer confidently as he’s already brainstormed with his team on who will tackle what.

Tip: Encourage your team to participate in important meetings, for example by sharing their solutions. This gets them used to explaining their thought process in front of other team members.

Drive teamwork through communication

Teamwork is a valuable tool to use in the workplace that comes with a multitude of benefits. From building trust to encouraging problem solving skills, teamwork brings your team together and creates clear communication.

If you want to encourage teamwork in the workplace, try team communication software. Make working on common goals easier and keep communication streamlined.