What effective team working skills are needed to build positive relationships?

There are differing viewpoints on the importance of teamwork in relationships and business. Many believe it is a vital part of any relationship and has many benefits. While cooperation alone may not be the solution to all your interpersonal and business problems, it will likely help you and those around you to cultivate more successful relationships.  

What Is Teamwork?

Working Well With A Team Isn’t Always Easy For Everyone

In its simplest form, teamwork is when two or more people come together to reach a common goal. To do that, the people involved in the team must collaborate and take responsibility for various aspects of the project or duties to get the entire task completed. The concept of teamwork applies to sports teams and big corporations, but it also applies to many aspects of business and personal relationships.

While working as a team can be intuitive for some people, others may find it more difficult. If you struggle to be a team player at work or in your personal relationships, you’re not alone. Improving teamwork is something that can be done on an individual and group level, sometimes with the help of a professional specializing in organizations and workplace relationships.

The importance of collaboration in the workplace is emphasized in many organizations. However, many people do not consider teamwork in the same way when they enter a long-term relationship or marriage. It may not occur to them that the concept of collaboration may contribute to strong relationships that can withstand significant life changes and obstacles.

Teamwork Brings People Closer Together

Whether it’s in relationships with friends, a partner, or a spouse, teamwork often brings people closer together. When you work together as a team, it helps form a bond with those closest to you that is less likely to emerge when people constantly work apart.

Teamwork Helps Distribute The Workload Evenly

The point of working together as a team is usually to prevent one person from bearing the responsibility of handling everything alone. Teamwork often “lightens the load” for those involved in a group project or other working endeavor. 

Compromise Becomes Possible

When each person in a relationship is working alone, reaching a mutual agreement can become difficult. Each person has independent ideas of how things “should be,” and they sometimes conflict. However, when you work together as a team, compromise becomes more likely. You can communicate and develop ideas and solutions to satisfy everyone’s needs.

Working Together Can Cultivate Ideas

When working alone, you may cultivate suitable ideas for solving problems. However, when working together, individuals often develop more creative problem-solving strategies than working separately. And a larger number of creative ideas available to the group may provide a larger number of potential solutions. 

Build Successful Relationships With Balance

Successful teammates at work often put the needs of the group above themselves without neglecting their own needs. This is also sometimes true in other relationships. For instance, when cultivating a relationship with a significant other, it is necessary to compromise your preferences. Even though successful relationships sometimes require sacrifice, selflessness, and perseverance, it’s essential to remember that balance is just as important.

Opens The Lines Of Communication

Teamwork sometimes opens the lines of communication between others more easily than working alone within a group. Teamwork often requires effective communication to solve problems and complete projects efficiently. Open communication is also important in relationships outside of work. The ability to speak to your partner about your needs and actively listen to them as they communicate theirs is essential and engaging in open communication will likely become more comfortable the more frequently you practice it.

Importance Of Teamwork In Business

The importance of teamwork in the workplace has grown with time. There are many benefits to organizing employees into teams; however, you may apply this practice of teamwork to all your business relationships, including client relationships. Individuals who partner with their clients, managers, and coworkers often build more effective teams in all aspects. 

Job Satisfaction

Organizational politics can have a negative impact on job satisfaction. However, studies reveal that employees are more satisfied with their jobs in companies where organizational politics is combined with an emphasis on teamwork. Another study found that, even in jobs where people felt they did not receive adequate support from their immediate supervisor, there was a connection between job satisfaction and a culture of teamwork within the organization. 

Increase Efficiency

Perhaps one of the most significant findings about the benefits of teamwork in the workplace concerns the increased level of efficiency when employees work together. Because the necessity of individual expenditure of effort can sometimes lessen within a team setting, employees are free to complete more work in a smaller amount of time. Teamwork often maximizes output and minimizes effort.

Improve Communication

Working Well With A Team Isn’t Always Easy For Everyone

Employees working within a team must learn how to communicate effectively to accomplish goals together. These improvements to communication may assist the team to develop more ideas that can greatly benefit the business as a whole.

Motivates Unity

Teamwork may also inspire people toward friendship and loyalty. When people work together as a team, they are more likely to cultivate unity and support for one another rather than unhealthy competition. This encourages a more personable work environment where lasting friendships are possible. In this way, not only can unity help with productivity and efficiency, but it may also encourage employees to feel more relaxed at work and satisfied with their jobs.

Promotes Innovation

Innovation is crucial for most businesses. Effective and speedy decisions are sometimes more easily made when individuals work together by bringing different experiences and skills to the table.

Personal Growth

Teamwork may give individuals the opportunity for personal growth. By working together, individuals can learn quickly from one another, expand their knowledge and their skillset, and find opportunities for individual improvement.

Fosters The Ability To Handle Change

Companies utilizing a team environment sometimes experience less difficulty when major organizational shifts occur. Whether the change is an entirely new sales system or a complete reorganization of management, teams are often better suited to adapt to those changes than individuals working alone. Teams also sometimes have more intrinsic stability against change, and that stability may make it easier for employees to accept and process significant changes within a company.

Speaking With A Therapist May Improve Teamwork 

Regardless of whether it’s at work or with a significant other, if you feel that you bear most of the workload in your relationships, it may be helpful to reflect with the help of a professional on how to make changes that encourage better teamwork and involvement from others. For instance, if you find it difficult to connect and work with your partner to make your relationship better, attending couples therapy may facilitate the communication necessary to learn that skill. 

Individual therapy may also be helpful for people in partnerships or those who wish to develop better teamwork skills at work. For example, speaking with an experienced therapist individually may help you better understand your personality and how it affects your communication skills, empathy, and how you cope with situations that may require relinquishment of control. 

Online Therapy Is Effective For Improving Teamwork Skills

Many people experience barriers to seeking help from a therapist, such as time constraints, accessibility, and financial concerns. If you would like to speak to a counselor about how you might strengthen your teamwork skills but face one or more of those barriers, online therapy is an excellent solution. Also, studies suggest that online therapy matches in-person treatment in terms of efficacy, and remote counseling platforms like BetterHelp are often more successful at connecting licensed mental health professionals with patients than choosing a therapist alone. 

Takeaways:

The licensed professionals at BetterHelp have the experience necessary to help you assess and work on potential issues that may hinder your ability to work effectively as part of a team. Over time, your experience working with a therapist will likely yield insights you may not have found on your own and help you develop the skills you need to be a key contributor to your team. 

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