Key principles of teamwork. Teamwork: key success factors. What is a team

It assumes both the independence of thinking of the employees included in it and the involvement of employees in the overall work to solve the tasks assigned to the team. The team makes it possible to implement projects that are beyond the power of one person. The team as a whole is responsible for everything it does and does not do. What are the features and key factors of successfulteamwork ?

Refers to the category of special cases of delegation of authority and responsibility. In a traditional structure, the task and associated authority are assigned to the owner of the job. The combined competence of team members must ensure the solution of problems and achievement of goals that are determined by the range of powers assigned to the team.

The team can consist of employees of the same or different levels and divisions of the company. While working as part of a team, all its members have equal rights and fulfill the responsibilities arising from the goals and objectives of the team. For team work, it does not matter what position the employee holds in the enterprise. Within the team, all employees have equal positions.

The rights and responsibilities of team members serve, on the one hand, as the basis for organizing work within the team, and on the other, as the basis for assessing the participants’ abilities for this form of work.

Team Member Responsibilities

Working as a team presupposes both the independent thinking of the employees included in it and the involvement of employees in the overall work to solve the tasks assigned to the team. The team makes it possible to implement projects that are beyond the power of one person. The team as a whole is responsible for everything it does and does not do. What are the characteristics and key factors of successful teamwork?

Teamwork is a special case of delegation of authority and responsibility. In a traditional structure, the task and associated authority are assigned to the owner of the job. The combined competence of team members must ensure the solution of problems and achievement of goals that are determined by the range of powers assigned to the team.

The team can consist of employees of the same or different levels and divisions of the company. While working as part of a team, all its members have equal rights and fulfill the responsibilities arising from the goals and objectives of the team. For team work, it does not matter what position the employee holds in the enterprise. Within the team, all employees have equal positions.

The rights and responsibilities of team members serve, on the one hand, as the basis for organizing work within the team, and on the other, as the basis for assessing the participants’ abilities for this form of work.

Team Member Responsibilities

* Each team member is obliged to direct his strength, knowledge and capabilities to achieve the goals set for the team. At the same time, he should not, following selfish considerations, hide ideas and solutions needed by the team for their subsequent use at the main place of work.

* Each team member is obliged to freely express his thoughts on problems that have arisen, without regard to the obligations that bind him to the manager at his main place of work.

* None of the teamwork participants should make their activity dependent on the group’s attitude to his recommendations. Moreover, each team member must be willing to submit to the decision of the majority, even if this decision contradicts his own ideas.

* The exception is the case when, in the opinion of one of its members, a special situation has arisen in the team for which he does not want to be held responsible. In this case, the “dissenting opinion” must be reflected in the protocol.

* Each team member should be loyal to his colleagues. He must not inform outsiders about the content of the team's discussions and decisions or use these decisions for personal gain.

* Each team member must treat other team members as equal partners. He must objectively analyze their ideas and express his point of view on them.

* Tolerance and mutual respect are the most important conditions for successful teamwork.

* Each team member is responsible for informing others of everything they need to know to complete the team's assigned tasks.

* None of the team members can interfere with the cooperation of its members due to their own likes and dislikes.

* In order to increase the effectiveness of cooperation, each team member should try to establish good working relationships with the rest of the team members.

The rights of a team member follow from these responsibilities.

Team member rights

* Freely express your opinion and demand its verification.

* Require the establishment of confidential, non-public trust relationships. The thoughts he expressed while working in the team should not become known to third parties. An employee cannot be put in danger because of ideas expressed while working in a team.

* Receive objective and complete information from other team members.

* Require that thoughts expressed by him be used by other team members externally only if this does not harm the accomplishment of the tasks assigned to the team or if special permission has been obtained for this.

* Require that the principles of correct behavior be observed during team work.

Responsibility when working as a team

The team as a whole is responsible for everything it does and does not do.

The team agrees that all team members share responsibility, even if they initially expressed doubts. They cannot distance themselves from the team's decision by citing their objections.

If the team fails to reach unity on a particular issue, then the decision is made by majority vote. In this case, the minority can add a “dissenting opinion” to the protocol. In the future, it submits to the majority and works on the basis of the decision made. In this case, these persons, although not responsible for the decision made, are responsible for further general results of work obtained on the basis of this decision. The disagreement of individual members with a general decision does not relieve them of responsibility for possible consequences.

If a team, by majority vote, makes a decision that individual members consider an unacceptable mistake for which they do not want to be held responsible, then they must clearly communicate this to the team. In this case, the “chief” of the team is informed, who makes a decision on the possible exclusion of the corresponding person from the team or on the recruitment of a new team.

In practice, things often come to the so-called “crossroads” - a situation when it is necessary to decide in which of two directions it is necessary to move forward. If the team itself is unable to find a way out, then the “boss” must either decide which of the two paths to take, or form two teams to work in each direction.

The team leader is responsible for the results of the work to the same extent as any ordinary team member. For the correct organization of the work that he does as part of his activities in the team, he is responsible to its team. A leader's dual responsibility to the team and the customer would be contrary to the essence of his position within the team.

To solve problems that go beyond the normal process of collegial cooperation within the existing organizational structure, a senior manager or company management is required to create an appropriate team and document this. Such a team, created on a permanent basis, should be considered as a new unit. It cannot be formed by one of the leaders. Making the appropriate decision is within the competence of the company’s management or its subordinate body.

The specially created team is disbanded as soon as it completes its assigned tasks. If we are talking about a team organized by the management of the company or another competent body, then they must disband it.

Benefits of Teamwork

* The team makes it possible to solve problems that are beyond the power of one person.

* Creating a team ensures that the interests of all parties are taken into account when developing a solution.

* As a result of cooperation in a team of specialists from several departments, unilateral influence by one of the higher authorities becomes impossible.

* When a team works, the risk of making an erroneous decision and the danger that some important facts will not come into view is reduced. The well-known proverb is quite applicable to team work: “One head is good, but two are better.”

* The team helps fight industrial blindness. What one worker does not notice out of habit is seen by another, who, in turn, does not notice certain problems in his own area of ​​​​work.

* Teamwork enhances the willingness and ability of managers at all levels to collaborate.

* An employee who has worked in a team will have fewer difficulties in the future when interacting with colleagues or other departments of the company.

* The team has a positive influence on the development of qualities that are important for collegial cooperation. It encourages tolerance, order, recognition of other people's opinions and correct discussion, overcoming selfish views. These factors go beyond teamwork and impact the overall success of the firm.

* The enterprise implements ideas that would not arise within the normal organization of work. This is explained by the fact that an individual employee does not have the opportunity to find starting points at his workplace in solving a problem that goes beyond his immediate activities.

* The team provides both an individual employee and an entire team with the opportunity to maximize creative potential and its practical implementation.

* For large firms, the team allows them to more rationally use the capabilities of their specialists who work on solving problems beyond the scope of their job responsibilities.

* For medium and small companies, teamwork allows for full use of the abilities, knowledge and skills of employees. The team can replace the work of specialists whom the company cannot invite to work for financial reasons.

Disadvantages of Teamwork

Along with the positive aspects, working as a team also has negative aspects.

* Working as a team, unlike regular work, may require additional time. The initial period when team members get used to each other can be quite long. It also takes some time to find an appropriate form of collaboration.

* Team work is often slow. This is especially noticeable with a large team size and when working part-time in a team. Difficulties encountered in assembling team members at the appointed time have a negative impact on the progress of work.

* Discussions that arise when working as part of a team take a lot of time, especially if individual employees do not know how to conduct them. Serious disagreements are possible.

* Working as a team can lead to delays in decision making, since the different views of the participants are summarized only after lengthy discussions.

* The anonymity of the work results of individual team members can negatively affect the desire to work. Any team member who has shown insufficient performance can “hide” behind an active participant in teamwork. When working as a team, there is no incentive for a sense of ambition, since the individual worker does not receive personal rewards for results.

* If an employee performs work as part of a team as an addition to his main activity, then it may be too much of a burden for him. Therefore, it is necessary in each specific case to consider whether this load is feasible, what tasks and to what extent should be abandoned while working in a team.

* There is a well-known expression: “A camel is a horse drawn by a team.” However, to claim that working as a team leads to an ineffective waste of time is just as wrong as demanding that all decisions be made collectively.

Key success factors for effective teamwork

* clear setting of goals and objectives;

* correct selection of team composition;

* having a well-thought-out system for team members;

* team members' ability to work collaboratively.

Working as a team presupposes both the independent thinking of the employees included in it and the involvement of employees in the overall work to solve the tasks assigned to the team. The team makes it possible to implement projects that are beyond the power of one person. The team as a whole is responsible for everything it does and does not do. What are the characteristics and key factors of successful teamwork?

Teamwork is a special case of delegation of authority and responsibility. In a traditional structure, the task and associated authority are assigned to the owner of the job. The combined competence of team members must ensure the solution of problems and achievement of goals that are determined by the range of powers assigned to the team.

The team can consist of employees of the same or different levels and divisions of the company. While working as part of a team, all its members have equal rights and fulfill the responsibilities arising from the goals and objectives of the team. For team work, it does not matter what position the employee holds in the enterprise. Within the team, all employees have equal positions.

The rights and responsibilities of team members serve, on the one hand, as the basis for organizing work within the team, and on the other, as the basis for assessing the participants’ abilities for this form of work.

Team Member Responsibilities

- Each team member is obliged to direct his strength, knowledge and capabilities to achieve the goals set for the team. At the same time, he should not, following selfish considerations, hide ideas and solutions needed by the team for their subsequent use at the main place of work.

Each team member is obliged to freely express his thoughts on problems that have arisen, without regard to the obligations that bind him to the manager at his main place of work.

None of the teamwork participants should make their activity dependent on the group’s attitude to his recommendations. Moreover, each team member must be willing to submit to the decision of the majority, even if this decision contradicts his own ideas.

The exception is the case when, in the opinion of one of its members, a special situation has arisen in the team for which he does not want to be held responsible. In this case, the “dissenting opinion” must be reflected in the protocol.

Each team member should be loyal to his colleagues. He must not inform outsiders about the content of the team's discussions and decisions or use these decisions for personal gain.

Each team member must treat other team members as equal partners. He must objectively analyze their ideas and express his point of view on them.

Tolerance and mutual respect are the most important conditions for successful teamwork.

Each team member is responsible for informing others of everything they need to know to complete the team's tasks.

None of the team members can interfere with the cooperation of its members because of their own likes and dislikes.

In order to increase the effectiveness of cooperation, each team member should try to establish good working relationships with the rest of the team members.

The rights of a team member follow from these responsibilities.

Team member rights

- Freely express your opinion and demand its verification.

Require the establishment of confidential, non-public trust relationships. The thoughts he expressed while working in the team should not become known to third parties. An employee cannot be put in danger because of ideas expressed while working in a team.

Receive objective and complete information from other team members.

Require that thoughts expressed by him be used by other team members outside only if this does not harm the accomplishment of the tasks assigned to the team or if special permission has been obtained for this.

Require that the principles of correct behavior be observed during team work.

Responsibility when working as a team

The team as a whole is responsible for everything it does and does not do.

The team agrees that all team members share responsibility, even if they initially expressed doubts. They cannot distance themselves from the team's decision by citing their objections.

If the team fails to reach unity on a particular issue, then the decision is made by majority vote. In this case, the minority can add a “dissenting opinion” to the protocol. In the future, it submits to the majority and works on the basis of the decision made. In this case, these persons, although not responsible for the decision made, are responsible for further general results of work obtained on the basis of this decision. The disagreement of individual members with a general decision does not relieve them of responsibility for possible consequences.

If a team, by majority vote, makes a decision that individual members consider an unacceptable mistake for which they do not want to be held responsible, then they must clearly communicate this to the team. In this case, the “chief” of the team is informed, who makes a decision on the possible exclusion of the corresponding person from the team or on the recruitment of a new team.

In practice, things often come to the so-called “crossroads” - a situation when it is necessary to decide in which of two directions it is necessary to move forward. If the team itself is unable to find a way out, then the “boss” must either decide which of the two paths to take, or form two teams to work in each direction.

The team leader is responsible for the results of the work to the same extent as any ordinary team member. For the correct organization of the work that he does as part of his activities in the team, he is responsible to its team. A leader's dual responsibility to the team and the customer would be contrary to the essence of his position within the team.

To solve problems that go beyond the normal process of collegial cooperation within the existing organizational structure, a senior manager or company management is required to create an appropriate team and document this. Such a team, created on a permanent basis, should be considered as a new unit. It cannot be formed by one of the leaders. Making the appropriate decision is within the competence of the company’s management or its subordinate body.

The specially created team is disbanded as soon as it completes its assigned tasks. If we are talking about a team organized by the management of the company or another competent body, then they must disband it.

Benefits of Teamwork

- A team makes it possible to solve problems that are beyond the power of one person.

Creating a team ensures that the interests of all parties are taken into account when developing a solution.

As a result of cooperation in a team of specialists from several departments, unilateral influence by one of the higher authorities becomes impossible.

When a team works, the risk of making an erroneous decision and the danger that some important facts will not come into view is reduced. The well-known proverb is quite applicable to team work: “One head is good, but two are better.”

The team helps fight industrial blindness. What one worker does not notice out of habit is seen by another, who, in turn, does not notice certain problems in his own area of ​​​​work.

Teamwork enhances the willingness and ability of managers at all levels to collaborate.

An employee who has worked in a team will have fewer difficulties in the future when interacting with colleagues or other departments of the company.

The team has a positive influence on the development of qualities that are important for collegial cooperation. It encourages tolerance, order, recognition of other people's opinions and correct discussion, overcoming selfish views. These factors go beyond teamwork and impact the overall success of the firm.

The enterprise implements ideas that would not arise within the normal organization of work. This is explained by the fact that an individual employee does not have the opportunity to find starting points at his workplace in solving a problem that goes beyond his immediate activities.

The team provides both an individual employee and an entire team with the opportunity to maximize creative potential and its practical implementation.

For large firms, the team allows them to more rationally use the capabilities of their specialists who work on solving problems that go beyond the scope of their job responsibilities.

For medium and small companies, teamwork allows full use of the abilities, knowledge and skills of employees. The team can replace the work of specialists whom the company cannot invite to work for financial reasons.

Disadvantages of Teamwork

Along with the positive aspects, working as a team also has negative aspects.

Working as a team, unlike regular work, may require additional time investment. The initial period when team members get used to each other can be quite long. It also takes some time to find an appropriate form of collaboration.

Team work is often slow. This is especially noticeable with a large team size and when working part-time in a team. Difficulties encountered in assembling team members at the appointed time have a negative impact on the progress of work.

Discussions that arise when working as part of a team take a lot of time, especially if individual employees do not know how to conduct them. Serious disagreements are possible.

Working as a team can lead to delays in decision making, as the different views of the participants are summarized only after lengthy discussions.

The anonymity of the work results of individual team members can negatively affect the desire to work. Any team member who has shown insufficient performance can “hide” behind an active participant in teamwork. When working as a team, there is no incentive for a sense of ambition, since the individual worker does not receive personal rewards for results.

If an employee performs work as part of a team as an addition to his main activity, then it may be too much of a burden for him. Therefore, it is necessary in each specific case to consider whether this load is feasible, what tasks and to what extent should be abandoned while working in a team.

There is a well-known expression: “A camel is a horse drawn by a team.” However, to claim that working as a team leads to an ineffective waste of time is just as wrong as demanding that all decisions be made collectively.

Key success factors for effective teamwork

- clear setting of goals and objectives;

Correct selection of team composition;

Having a well-thought-out system for team members;

Team members' ability to work collaboratively.

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Teamwork is almost always perceived as something extremely positive, because if you work together, it is possible to achieve synergy and implement those projects and complete those tasks that would be too overwhelming for one person. And results in teamwork are achieved only when the efforts of all its members are directed in the same direction. And responsibility for all results also lies with a group of people, and not just one person.

However, even when working in a team, each person can and should be able to think and work independently. In no case can team play be considered a guarantee of getting rid of failures, especially when it comes to business, because the collective organization of work has not only its advantages, but also weaknesses.

So what are the features of teamwork, and what can be attributed to its positive aspects and what to its disadvantages? Today we will try to provide answers to these important questions.

A little about teamwork

First of all, it should be noted that teamwork is one of the forms. It is not at all necessary that the team has employees of the same status - all team members can have their own positions and powers, but the responsibilities and rights should always be the same for everyone. And this is very important, because, despite the difference in status, all “players” should have the same positions.

As for the same responsibilities and rights, this equality is a fundamental principle of teamwork, because through it it is possible to give an objective description of the potential of all team members in the form of activity under consideration.

And for the team to be successful, and its functioning to produce appropriate results, it is necessary that the following conditions be met:

• Competent
• Having clear and clear objectives
• Correct selection of command personnel
• Availability of a detailed work system
• Ability of people to work in a team

And only if these conditions are met can we say that teamwork makes sense. And, of course, the very first thing to consider is the benefits of teamwork.

The benefits of teamwork

Here we can point out the following advantages of working as a team:

• In the process of teamwork, ideas are achieved that most likely would not even arise during normal work. This can be explained by the fact that, working in standard mode, a person simply cannot go beyond the boundaries of his powers, which means that he does not have access to tools with which he can solve all problems
• As we said at the very beginning, a team consisting of even 3-4 people is capable of achieving much greater results than one person, which is due to the synergy effect when the sum of the potential of individual elements is greater than the whole
• If a team is created taking into account all the relevant factors, it will always take into account the thoughts, ideas and opinions of all its members
• Due to the fact that a team, in most cases, is characterized by the cooperation of specialists from different organizational divisions (if we are talking about work in an organization), it becomes quite difficult, sometimes even simply impossible, to put pressure on the work of the team by any of the higher divisions
• Due to the fact that each of the participants is accepted into the team, we can say that this is a guarantee that interesting ideas will certainly appear within the range of the team, and when discussing them, the maximum number of details will be taken into account. Thus, the chances of error are significantly reduced
• Teamwork is an almost 100% guarantee that any flaws in the activity will be identified. If one person is constantly responsible for a specific area of ​​work, his vision “clouds”, because for him everything is already becoming familiar, which is why he may simply miss many details. But when another person, or even several, looks at the same things, absolutely all the shortcomings become visible.
• Teamwork gives people the willingness, determination and ability to cooperate, even in cases where people of very different statuses interact.
• If a person has had the opportunity to work in a team at least once, he becomes more open, tolerant and loyal to colleagues, as a result of which in future work it will be much easier for him to interact not only with other employees, but also with other organizational units
• Teamwork cultivates in a person tolerance towards the people around him, establishes order, develops respect for other people’s opinions and the ability to conduct dialogues competently, and also teaches him from time to time to push his own interests into the background, which, in general, has a huge positive impact on the entire team and her work
• A person who has managed to establish himself as an effective team player opens up broad prospects for himself and also gains valuable experience that can be useful both for him and for the organization where he works.
• All team members, both together and individually, have the opportunity to achieve the maximum and its implementation in practical activities
• If the team belongs to the staff of any large organization, then this organization has every chance of more rational and effective use of the potential of its employees, because they will be able to work on solving those problems and tasks that are outside the framework corresponding to their usual status
• If the team belongs to the staff of a small or medium-sized company, then through teamwork it is possible to achieve full use of the skills, knowledge and abilities of all employees. The team can even replace one specialist whom the company is not able to invite to work

It is easy to see that teamwork has many advantages, and if you learn to see this potential in teamwork, you can achieve truly unprecedented heights.

But if it can be “hot”, then it can also be “cold”. In other words, teamwork also has its own disadvantages.

Disadvantages of Teamwork

There are significantly fewer disadvantages of teamwork, but they must be mentioned. Among them are the following:

• Team work requires additional time investment. The fact is that team members must “get used to” each other, and this can take a lot of time. Plus, time is also needed to find a suitable form of collaboration
• Team work is characterized by some slowness, which is most noticeable when there are many people in the team, and also when one of the members combines team work with individual work. It is also often difficult to gather all participants in one place at one time, and this negatively affects the entire work process
• Significant time costs may also be involved if one of the team members does not master teamwork techniques. This can, among other things, cause serious disagreements and even
• In teamwork, important decisions may be delayed due to different views of team members on the same things, which can only be generalized through lengthy discussions.
• Team members' willingness to work may be negatively affected by the anonymity of performance results. An ineffective employee can “hide behind” an effective one if his performance is low. In teamwork there is no incentive for ambition, because... there is no individualized reward for success
• If teamwork is extra for a person, it can begin to take up a lot of energy. For this reason, it is necessary to understand whether a person can cope with this load, or whether teamwork tasks should be reconsidered

But it is important to say that if he is able to successfully apply the principles of team building and is able to find an individual approach to each team member, he has every chance of creating an effective team and making sure that the advantages of teamwork outweigh the disadvantages.

ARE YOU A TEAM PLAYER? If you want to know where you belong on a team, and whether you can lead people yourself, you need to determine not only your personal characteristics, but also which team roles they best fit. Therefore, we invite you to take our specialized course on self-knowledge (it is located), which will reveal to you your characteristics as a team player and give a huge amount of other information about your personality, the possession of which will increase your personal effectiveness not only in working in a team and not only in work in general, but also in any area of ​​life.

We wish you a good mood and self-knowledge!