Teamwork matters: Why teamwork is vital to remote and hybrid teams

What is teamwork?

Teamwork refers to the systems, ethics and frameworks a group of individuals operate within while working together toward a common goal. Through effective collaboration and communication, a successful team leverages each member's unique skills and abilities to succeed in their shared goal.

6 reasons why is teamwork important in the workplace

They say that teamwork makes the dream work. And like many old, (some might say cheesy) sayings, this can be validated by both history and science.

According to anthropologist Adriana Christiano, teamwork is a deeply entrenched aspect of our psychology that has been celebrated throughout human history.¹ It's why working within a team is often intrinsically rewarding, and why so many of us seek it out.

This tendency is continuous across many different human endeavors, and the modern workplace is no exception. Jose Yong writes:²

"There are important commonalities between teams working in very different environments, whether these teams are scouting the outskirts of the land, exploring the frontiers of the universe, or solving problems in a corporate office."

Given the role it's played in our history, it shouldn't be surprising that the research into teamwork in workplace settings yields a myriad of benefits.

Here are the top benefits of teamwork in your workplace.

1. Drives innovation

With a collaborative spirit and limited friction between a diverse group of individuals, teams can access a broader range of insights and perspectives. With this kind of superpower, innovative ideas are bound to follow.

Effective teamwork, marked by open dialogue, allows team members to freely challenge each other's assumptions, explore unconventional solutions and tackle difficult tasks in a safe and constructive space.

A recent study on the relationship between the quality of teamwork and innovation revealed some interesting findings: of 145 software development projects included in the sample, teams were given a rank on their ability to do the following:³

• Communication
• Coordination
• Balance of member contributions
• Mutual support
• Effort
• Cohesion

Unsurprisingly, the quality of teamwork based on the above metrics was positively correlated with the creative thinking skills of the team. So if you're looking for innovative ideas, fostering teamwork is a great place to start.

2. Improves morale

For employees who are motivated by Affiliation and working in a Group Environment, team collaboration and the act of working together on shared goals is deeply rewarding, and provides a strong sense of togetherness and meaning.⁴ When a team is effectively calibrated so that individual employees' differences are celebrated, people actually love turning up and being involved.

3. Provides opportunities for growth

When teams work closely together, opportunities for both personal and professional growth present themselves in ways that working individually doesn't. Take brainstorming, for example. Provided a safe space has been carved out for "no bad ideas" and a "yes and…" approach that allows fresh ideas to be put forward, individuals can stretch their creative thinking and abstract reasoning abilities in a way that working in a Solo Environment seldom can.

Or, for employees who have a competitive nature, fostering healthy competition between employees can motivate employees to sharpen their skills. For instance, sales teams often thrive on healthy competition as to who can achieve top numbers. Provided this doesn't merge into more toxic and overly combative competition, these kinds of targets can see employees push themselves towards bigger goals, foster personal growth and the sharpening of skill sets.

4. Improves productivity, effectiveness and efficiency

With each employee working to their strengths, roles clarified and strong, effective communication, productivity levels are sure to increase. Studies⁵ have shown that team leaders who prioritize team collaboration have seen productivity levels significantly increase, as a result.

So if you want to build strong teams where employees go the extra mile, developing a sense of teamwork among employees will get you there.

5. Boosts retention rates

When employees find their groove in working within a well-oiled team-machine, it's unsurprising that they're less likely to seek other opportunities. As stated above, to many types of people, effective teamwork just feels good. Being a part of an effective team scratches that itch for a sense of belonging.

It follows that a sense of effective teamwork is associated with higher retention rates in the workplace. In fact, 37% of employees state that teamwork is very important to them in relation to their overall levels of job satisfaction. While not a majority, note that 27% of employees who quit their job cite a lack of connection to their team as a key reason.⁶

So, if you're looking to reduce rates of employee turnover, fostering a sense of teamwork is an excellent place to start.

6. Enhances problem solving

Diverse teams from different educational backgrounds, who have different skill sets, motivations and workstyles, often have everything they need to solve complex problems. But without the ability to leverage the entire team and their unique contributions, a lot of the pieces needed to solve these puzzles don't quite come together.

Smooth, effective teamwork skills allow the free-flow sharing of ideas between diverse teams. A lack of teamwork keeps each individual within their own silos of expertise, and the solutions that could be pieced together never materialize.

A study into the impact of what is known as Collective Orientation, (which closely mirrors F4S's Affiliation and Shared Responsibility traits) demonstrated that teams that scored high on this measure perform better on complex problem-solving tasks.⁷

How to improve teamwork skills

With the benefits of teamwork explained, now, we'll discuss some things you can do to build a strong teamwork environment in your workplace and improve employee performance. While remote or hybrid teams may feel more isolated, the very same principles of building a solid team ethic still applies.

Practice active listening

Active listening cultivates teamwork by demonstrating respect and empathy towards team members. When individuals feel heard and understood, they are more likely to collaborate effectively. Active listeners absorb ideas, concerns, and feedback, which not only strengthens interpersonal bonds but also supports problem-solving and decision-making on complex tasks. It fosters an inclusive atmosphere where diverse viewpoints are valued, enhancing team cohesion and collective performance.

Encourage collaboration

As a leader, it's up to you to shape the collaborative culture in your team. Encouraging open communication and creating norms around how teams communicate in meetings are things you can do to make collaboration a core part of how your team functions.

Here's where you might want to assess how you approach projects.

Are responsibilities shared, or are they taken on individually? Are you encouraging team members from disparate fields to collaborate on shared projects? All these things have an impact on your team's ability to collaborate.

Collaboration can also be fostered by the tools a team uses.

Project management and communication platforms make collaboration among team members easy. Choosing the right tools for your team can be challenging, though.

Here are our guides to our picks for the best project management and communication tools available:

• Miro
• Slack
• Asana
• Monday
• Trello
• F4S for Zoom

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