The Definition of Teamwork in the Workplace

Teamwork is a word that is often thrown around in the business world. However, what exactly is meant by the actual term "teamwork" may differ from one business to the next or even from one person to the next. The difficulty in establishing a definition for the term stems from the fact that it actually consists of several facets. Cooperation Teamwork in the workplace involves cooperation among workers. This cooperation is usually for the sake of a common goal that the entire team is working toward -- such as a sales quota or some other measurable outcome. Insome cases, however, the common goal may be something more nebulous,such as the well-being of the company. Teamwork requires that all workers contribute their fair share to the workload so that the company can accomplish its goals in a timely and satisfactory manner. Relationships Teamwork is more complicated than cooperation among workers. While cooperation is essential to teamwork, it is only partially able to help teams reach their goals. A willingness to cooperate stems from relationships that develop between coworkers or between employees and the employer. Teamwork cannot exist without this relational component, even if the extent of the relationship is minimal. Teamwork does not occur if each person does his own thing separately from his work relationships. Learning Teamwork is also about more than just reaching the end goal in some cases. The relationship that exists between members of a team can result in the workers or team members getting to know one another on a deeper level. This relational learning can contribute to future cooperative endeavors as workers learn to understand how each person on the team contributes to the overall process of accomplishing a goal. Leadership Teamwork in the workplace also involves leadership development. With each task, teams do not necessarily divvy up the work equally among all team members. Instead, each person contributes his part. Within a teamwork environment, this may also involve the establishment of team leaders who help to ensure that the work is completed in a timely manner. Teamwork can involve working together under the leadership of one person who has been chosen as leader or is naturally recognized as such by team members.