12 Easy Ways to Improve Workplace Teamwork

There is no I in a team, and when it comes to a company's overall work environment, deadlines are met, and success is achieved through teamwork and collaboration.

Every employee has a position that serves a purpose in helping the company achieve its bottom line. However, it takes teamwork to hit those goals or improve numbers in various aspects of the business. 

With teamwork being the most significant factor in a business's success, it's critical to the health and wealth of your company to facilitate ways for your employees and staff to work together as a team. Our article today will review 12 ways your company can promote and improve teamwork in the workplace. 

We're All In This Together

Have you heard people say their business runs like a well-oiled machine? Well, that means everyone within that company knows their role and makes an effort to do their part without interfering with the process or workflow. That can be achieved if everyone works as a team.

• Understanding Company Goals and Purpose

The point of teamwork is to come together as individuals to achieve a larger goal. Therefore, coming up with company goals or objectives aids your employees in understanding what greater purpose they are a part of and are working toward.

• Set Team/Department Goals

Each team or group is responsible for certain aspects of the overall business. For instance, the HR department would be responsible for bringing in the best talent to fulfill open positions within the company. 

The team can aim to retain every new hire for longer than two years. That goal can motivate the members of HR to try their best to find and retain employees for the company, overall helping to build a staff that is talented and reliable.

• Celebrate and Reward Accomplishments 

Let's say that the HR staff has managed to meet their goal and that five of the eight new hires make it past the two-year threshold. In that case, it's essential to celebrate that achievement and reward them for the success in their efforts! 

This goal also could be part of a larger company goal of retaining more employees for the longer term. Therefore, the company has reached its goal through the efforts of the HR team, and the company can celebrate as well!

• Make Time for Team Building Activities 

Collaboration and teamwork stem from trust and transparency among teammates. To nurture trust and confidence among your employees, you must focus on bringing the team members closer to one another.

This, of course, can be done through team-building activities and events. They can look like problem-solving puzzles, games, and other challenges. And include an afternoon out together on weekends or after the office closes for the evening. 

• Be Open to Ideas and Suggestions

After a group of people works on a purpose together, they are likely to find that certain strategies or processes may not be effective for them, or they may want to set a goal for themselves or offer up suggestions for improvement.

When this happens, take some time to consider their ideas! Part of being a team is feeling that your voice is heard and understood by both leaders and coworkers.

• Create an Encouraging Environment 

Leaders must create a pleasant working environment where everyone is encouraged to do their best to build a team that is excited and motivated to come to work. Not only that, but it's essential to show your employees that you believe in them and that any problem you may have, you can solve together.

• Work On Communication

Teamwork efforts cannot be achieved without practicing and implementing constructive and clear communication. When the benefits of achieving company goals are clearly explained, everyone is on board and eager to get to work.

Communication is a skill that can always be improved. It's also a practice that involves everyone from the top-down. You can include digital messaging tools like Slack and other software to help daily communications for projects, deadlines, and company news. 

Through positive and effective communication, you can gain respect and understanding, building a strong atmosphere for improved teamwork. 

• Get Organized 

Achieving effective communication can stem from being organized in processes and duties. It can be difficult for any team to get anything done without organization. Take the time to provide a way for everyone to stay organized and in one accord with another. This can take the form of digital project management or collaboration tools such as Clickup or Asana.

• Allow Space for Feedback

Feedback also falls into the communication category. Why? Because it focuses on a very crucial component of communication, listening. Being heard is important, and you can't possibly improve or get better at being a team if you don't take the time to hear each other out. 

Feedback can be gathered in different ways and can include the managers and leaders. Conduct surveys, one-on-ones, group meetings, and interviews to understand where your teams, strengths, weaknesses, obstacles, and motivation lie. After you have gathered all the information, strategize how to utilize it to promote better teamwork. 

• Be Inclusive

It can be challenging for upper management and leaders to release the reins and let someone else take charge for a while. But not allowing your employees to lead where they can lead or including them in the creative process can make your staff feel left out. 

Maybe they have great ideas or are particularly good at doing something at speed, step back and allow them the opportunity to hold responsibility or lead in project efforts.

• Lead By Example

To improve your teamwork efforts in the workplace, you must demonstrate to your employees that the leaders are also a part of the team. They should know that you are there to participate, encourage, and support team efforts.

• Have Fun! 

Making time for fun within the workplace can also improve teamwork amongst your employees. In addition, the realization that you can have fun at work drives happiness, creativity, motivation, and satisfaction in daily work. 

Try out your teamwork strategy

Together with your employees, managers, and leaders, you can build a solid foundation on which your teams strive to work as one. Building trust, collaboration, and respect, through teamwork is the only way to see growth and success within your company.