Components of Teamwork

Technical proficiency alone does not make a team succeed — a wide variety of other components go into successful teamwork. At its core, effective teamwork comprises skilled team members with specific roles, each contributing towards achieving the shared goal. …

When a group of individuals performs one job together, effective communication between the members of the team is a necessity, not a nicety. The textbook lists the practical channels through which this communication happens:

• e-mails,
• telephone calls, and
• group meetings arranged for the team. …

Communication is two-way: alongside expressing your own ideas, it is necessary to understand the ideas of others while executing a job together. The textbook identifies two habits that make this happen:

• team members listen to each other in group meetings, rather than merely waiting to speak; and
• they then follow the steps that were agreed upon in those meetings. …

Sharing is an important component of teamwork. To perform a job together, team members need to share with each other the things the work runs on — ideas, images and tools.

The textbook adds a specific expectation of the team's experts: any member who is well versed in a certain area should share that expertise and experience with the others. Knowledge held by one member helps the team only when it circulates; sharing it is what lets the whole team achieve the goal effectively within the time frame. …

Respect is a non-negotiable quality of good teamwork: every member of the team must be treated respectfully. In practice, this means that all the thoughts and ideas put forward during group meetings deserve to be respected and given due consideration — no suggestion should be brushed aside without being heard. …

A helping hand from every member is a key to the team's success — each person should be ready to assist teammates rather than working in isolation.

The textbook adds that help need not come only from within the team: sometimes assistance is also taken from people who are not part of the team in order to accomplish a job. Being open to h …

Active participation from everyone is essential for a project team to succeed. Team members should encourage one another to take part — both in the actual work of completing the project and in the discussions held during group meetings. …