What Are Teamwork Skills

What are teamwork skills?
Teamwork skills are the qualities and abilities that allow you to work well with others
during conversations, projects, meetings or other collaborations. Having teamwork skills
is dependent on your ability to communicate well, actively listen and be responsible and
honest. There are many other additional soft skills that can help you be an exceptional
teammate at work that we will discuss more below.
Why are teamwork skills important?
You will be required to work alongside others in every industry at every level in your
career. Doing so in an empathetic, efficient and responsible manner can help you
accomplish career goals, grow your resume and contribute positively to your
organization. It can also help you build rapport with others. Building rapport can lead to
deeper working relationships, new connections and possibly new opportunities.
6 Top Tips for Better Teamwork
Effective teamwork is at the heart of every successful team project.

While some teams may work well together with seemingly little effort,
there are specific elements of successful teamwork that you and your
team can learn. In this article, we discuss the three elements
necessary for effective teamwork and we offer tips for improving the
results of your next team project.
Three elements of successful teamwork

1. Clearly defined goals
The success of any project starts with a clearly defined goal that is shared with all
members of the team. You can create a clear purpose by forming a mission
statement, setting OKRs (objectives and key results), setting key performance
indicators (KPIs) or defining specific deliverables. When a team shares a specific goal, it
helps to prioritize time and resources. It also helps your employees understand their
roles and how their work contributes to the overall success of the project. Consider
setting SMART goals, or goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and
time-bound.
Example: Your customer service team currently has a three-day

turnaround for processing customer returns. Your mission statement is
to improve customer service, and your goal for the group project is to
process returns for all customers within two days.
2. Clearly defined roles and rewards for each team member
When each member of the team understands the role they play in meeting the project
goals, they’ll be able to stay focused on their responsibilities towards the project’s
success. Rewarding team members for meeting early goals and/or making significant
progress helps your team members stay motivated and on track for the project’s
completion.
Recognition can also help your fellow team members remember the importance of their
role in the project and increase morale. Both team leaders and individual contributors
should give positive feedback by noting exceptional work or praising a valuable idea.
Recognizing your coworkers as you work toward a common goal can help motivate the
entire team.
Example: During your scheduled meetings, plan time to recognize the successes of

team members. Base these affirmations on milestones so team members understand
what they have achieved and so other members know what work they should model
going forward. The benchmarks can be small—you do not need to limit recognition to
major achievements.
3. Open communication
Open, honest and respectful communication is vital to effective teamwork. Team

members need to feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions so each
individual contributes to their full potential. Clear communication leads to more trust
among team members and breaks down barriers that can make a team's work slower
and less effective.
To set a foundation for strong communication, establish expectations and best

practices. This includes when and how you should use different methods of
communication, such as emails, online messaging, phone calls and meetings.
Example: If you have an ongoing project, schedule short meetings to review progress.
Give every team member equal time to relay their wins and losses. Set aside time for
the group to help solve problems an individual is facing or give constructive feedback.
You might explain that you will be using chats to discuss day-to-day work and a weekly
email to communicate important updates and milestones.
More tips for effective teamwork

Create a productive work environment
Each team-based project will thrive in a different work environment depending on its
team members and goals. Begin your project by tailoring the physical space you occupy
to meet your needs. When creating this space, think about the tools your team may
require, access to contributors or stakeholders outside of your team and the time they
will need to occupy the space.
Example: If you are working on a creative task that requires a team to brainstorm ideas
together then find a quiet conference room where employees can feel comfortable
exchanging ideas. The room should be equipped with necessary tools, which may
include a whiteboard and laptops with specific software.
Be creative
Creativity is an important component of a successful team project. Creative problem
solving and experimentation are vital concepts to engage in as a group. Doing so can
utilize everyone's unique perspectives to create more varied solutions.
Example: Using our example from above, if your goal is to reduce customer service
turnaround for processing customer returns, then set aside time for brainstorming
sessions with your team and encourage creative solutions. For instance, upgrading your
software could reduce turnaround time. Gathering specific information from customers
could speed up the return process. Since different employees will have different ideas,
you’ll end up with multiple ways to achieve your goal.
Meet outside the workplace

While you may have tailored your work environment to meet all of your team's needs,
sometimes team members feel more comfortable in a setting outside of work. Meetings
outside of the office also allow coworkers to build rapport and grow closer as a team, all
of which can increase creativity.
Example: Schedule a group lunch at a nearby restaurant or a coffee shop afternoon

break.. These meetings can be formal with team-building exercises, or just an informal
chance for team members to relax and spend time together. Depending on the length of
your project, you may want to schedule a recurring event, such as a team lunch every
two weeks to discuss new ideas and recognize individual team members for their
progress.
Examples of teamwork skills

Teamwork skills are made up of many other soft skills you can work to develop over
time. Here are seven examples of qualities that can help you improve your teamwork
skills:
1. Communication
The ability to communicate in a clear, efficient way is a critical teamwork skill. When
working with others, it is important that you share relevant thoughts, ideas and key
information. There are many different types of communication skills including both
verbal and nonverbal.
2. Responsibility
Within the dynamic of teamwork, it is important that the parties involved both
understand the work they are responsible for and make the effort to complete said tasks
on time and up to the expected standard. With the entire team functioning properly by
taking responsibility for their own work, they can work together towards a common goal.
3. Honesty
Practicing honesty and transparency at work might mean working through a

disagreement, explaining that you were not able to complete a certain task on time or
sharing difficult updates. Without transparency, it can be difficult for a team to develop
trust and therefore work together efficiently.
4. Active listening
Much like communication, active listening skills can help a team to understand and trust
each other. Active listening is the act of making an effort to focus intently on one person
as they share their ideas, thoughts or feelings. You might also ask follow-up questions
to dig deeper into what they are communicating.
5. Empathy
Having empathy for your teammates can allow you to better understand their motives
and feelings. Taking the time to listen and understand how others think and work can
help you to communicate with them in the right ways.
6. Collaboration
Teamwork exists so that a group of individuals with a diverse set of skills and talents
can work together towards a common goal. It is crucial to work with other teammates to
share ideas, improve each other’s work and help one another to form a good team.
7. Awareness
In teamwork, it is important that you hone your ability to be aware of the team dynamic
at all times. For example, if one person is dominating the conversation or does not allow
others to share ideas, it is important that balance is restored so each teammate to
contribute evenly. Alternatively, if one person tends to be more shy or hesitant to share
ideas, it is important to create space so that all teammates feel comfortable contributing
their unique skills and abilities.
How to improve your teamwork skills

While it can take time and work to improve soft skills such as teamwork, it is certainly
possible to build these qualities. Here are a few steps you can take to improve your
teamwork skills:
 Get honest feedback. It can be difficult to identify your own areas of

improvement. Finding a trusted friend, colleague or mentor that can
offer you honest feedback about your teamwork strengths and
weaknesses can help you improve them.
 Set personal goals. Using both your own observations and feedback
from others to form achievable, relevant and time-constrained goals can
help you improve one teamwork skill at a time. Using the SMART goal
framework is an easy way to set appropriate goals for your career.
 Practice. It takes time and practice to see improvements in your skillset.
Pay close attention to your teamwork interactions throughout the day
both in and out of work. Take mindful steps to practice the specific
qualities you are trying to build.
 Mimic others with strong teamwork skills. When you see examples
of great teamwork, take note and identify why the interaction stood out
to you. Apply those qualities in your own interactions when working with
others.
Developing teamwork skills can help you both in your career and when seeking new
opportunities. Take time to evaluate your current skill set and identify areas for
improvement. With time and practice, you can begin building a strong set of teamwork
skills.

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What Are Teamwork Skills

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What are teamwork skills?

Why are teamwork skills important?

6 Top Tips for Better Teamwork

Effective teamwork is at the heart of every successful team project.

Three elements of successful teamwork

Example: Your customer service team currently has a three-day

Example: During your scheduled meetings, plan time to recognize the successes of

Open, honest and respectful communication is vital to effective teamwork. Team

To set a foundation for strong communication, establish expectations and best

More tips for effective teamwork

Meet outside the workplace

Example: Schedule a group lunch at a nearby restaurant or a coffee shop afternoon

Examples of teamwork skills

Practicing honesty and transparency at work might mean working through a

How to improve your teamwork skills

 Get honest feedback. It can be difficult to identify your own areas of

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