How Skills & Competencies Can Drive Teamwork

Collaboration and teamwork are crucial in almost all job roles and workflows. It’s a powerful tool to have in the workplace. Individual strengths shine, ideas and perspectives are more diverse, and projects can be completed more efficiently.

The Importance of Teamwork & Collaboration

Teamwork and collaboration are soft skills that apply across all industries. Unless your role requires you to work completely isolated, you’re likely a team member, whether you collaborate in person or virtually. Tools like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive are making this easier to do as we work more remotely.

Teamwork has a positive correlation with productivity, creativity, innovation, and quality of work. After all, two brains are better than one. Research shows that employees demonstrate more interest and enjoyment when collaborating on tasks. It’s easier to stay focused when you can bounce ideas off one another.

A Psychologist Gregory Walton from Stanford reported, "Our research shows that it is possible to create a spirit of teamwork as people take on challenging individual tasks – a feeling that we're all in this together, working on problems and tasks – and that this sense of working together can inspire motivation."

The Role of Skills Development

The benefits of teamwork and collaboration will only come from a team that can work together effectively. As most leaders know, this rarely just happens. A cohesive workplace requires nurturing. To drive teamwork and collaboration, employees must first learn some essential skills.

Let’s look at five important skills and what employers can do to strengthen them in their employees.

Communication Skills

Communication is arguably the most important teamwork skill. In fact, in any relationship, communication is key. Employees need to be able to share their ideas, offer feedback, and listen to colleagues if they’re to collaborate on projects.

To strengthen communication skills, be mindful of introverts and extroverts. Confident employees will offer their opinions willingly, but others may need a chance to gather their thoughts before a meeting. Consider what communication methods you use. Some people won’t want to receive feedback in person, while others aren’t a fan of online messenger apps.

Goal-Setting Skills

Teams work together for the success of the company. The crucial first step is agreeing on what goals will deliver such success. But you can’t just assume that everyone knows what the mutual goals or strategies are. It’s important to develop goal-setting skills.

How do you achieve this? Involve employees in the process! They are the ones completing the work. Ensure that everyone understands the company’s mission but let them set objectives to be accountable for. Manage these in a place that can easily and frequently be referred to. It’s also important that everyone understands how you’ll measure the success of outcomes.

Decision-Making Skills

In business, we need to make quick and informed decisions. When colleagues can’t come to a consensus, the completion of tasks is prolonged. Managers aren’t always around to have the final say. Decision-making is a teamwork skill that’s imperative to master in a team environment.

Try setting deadlines for your teams so they have no choice but to make up their mind. Train employees to listen to others’ opinions. Lead by example – keep an open mind when listening to colleagues so they are encouraged to do the same with colleagues. Value inclusivity and diversity in your organization.

Problem-Solving Skills

Problems arise in the most functional environments. It’s natural. The important thing is how they are dealt with. Good problem-solving skills mean that your employees don’t panic and produce quick fixes. They must be willing to find the root causes of issues and work together to identify all contributing factors.

Teach your employees to problem-solve using various methods. They need to map out the who, what, why, and where of the problem. You can have them act out scenarios and deal with mock problems in a group setting. Train everyone to listen to different solutions before rushing the decision as the first idea isn’t necessarily the best.

Emotional Intelligence Skills

Working in a team requires emotional intelligence. People need to not only understand themselves and their feelings but also show empathy for others. This soft skill is becoming increasingly important in the workplace. Employees need to read the room and act accordingly if they want a team environment to flow smoothly.

Model the emotional intelligence you expect from your workers. This can be in the way you manage a customer complaint or offer feedback to an underperforming employee. You can introduce personality tests into team training or utilize soft-skills mentors.

We can’t always suppress our emotions, meaning they will slip into our work sometimes. Developing this skill will reduce the negative impact on productivity.

There’s No “I” In Teamwork

Building a better team starts with having the right skills. Communication, goal-setting, decision-making, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence skills are some of the most important to develop and nurture in your workplace. Remember to always lead by example. Then you can set team goals that align with your company’s values and mission, and trust that your workforce will complete their projects collaboratively.