Why Teamwork and Collaboration are Key to Productivity

It’s of little doubt by now that the future of work is relaxed. With technology standing by, and paradigm shifts in the dynamics of a workplace, it is clear that the concept of virtually permanent Work from Home is one that’s here for good. But prolonged Work-From-Home has brought its fair share of problems that hamper productivity. There seems to be little difference between weekend and weekday, and the sources of motivation to keep things running in the week seem almost invisible. So, even with all the pros that work from home has to offer, why are we unable to provide our best?

The element of alienation means that we are left alone and distant from our colleagues and teams. In the process, we are also deprived of a certain momentum and flow of ideas to share, as well as the regular conversations we’d have. Bearing this in mind, it seems logical that teamwork and collaboration enhance productivity and potential of individual employees. After all, a popular acronym made with the word TEAM is that Together Everyone Achieves More.

On that note, here’s to understanding the reasons that Teamwork and Collaboration are key to productivity.

Interlocking Talents

It’s human nature that we achieve more when we work together. Many a drop of water makes an ocean, and the passion and dedication of many an employee is what helps ensure that the whole team of an organization reaches full productivity. When done correctly, people coming together would play the role of uplifting one another up to reach their maximum potentials. Putting together a team results in introducing a diversity of thoughts, abilities, and views into the situation at hand.

Let’s look at this with a simple example of three musicians: a guitarist, a pianist and a drummer. Each have their own specific talents. The guitarist’s specialty is his/her ability to carry out a solo, the pianist to introduce soft melodies, and the drummer a reverberating pace of beats. Each of the three are good, but would you recognize them as an outstanding band if they didn’t come together harmoniously? Productivity only takes place when talents are connected and executed harmoniously. This can only happen when you come together with your employees, and work as a team.

Give & Take

In any relationship, there’s always a give and take. Even the introductory handshake requires the giving of one hand and the taking of another. This applies just as much to collaboration as well. In fact, it’s the core of it. The ability to create aspects that are innovative and new can only happen when you give and take from one another while working as a team. As a result of this, you can have a workforce that can continually grow. There is always a give and take relationship for a team. In these, what’s given and taken is knowledge and information.

It also applies to applying behavioural qualities too. When spending enough time with someone, one starts to incorporate their qualities into their behaviour too. The same goes with team interactions too. This proves symbiotic as familiarity and trust with one another in the group would mean lesser time required to understand preferences, increasing productivity as a whole.

Growing Ingenuity

Google CEO Sundar Pichai once asserted that “A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone”. But to do so requires a foundational attitude of acceptance of change, without which teamwork and collaboration cannot exist.

By adopting an attitude that stands free of judgements, a company can set the birthing ground toward the generation of good ideas and innovative strategies. Teams that strive to work collaboratively stand a better chance of developing creative solutions as it is easier for skills to flourish. This is augmented in an inclusive environment. Productivity is a function of motivation, and a team that is motivated is one that would perceive an inclusive environment they are working with.

Now that we’ve seen the driving reasons of Teamwork and Collaboration being key to Productivity. This therefore begs the question as to how to channel and harness it. For any situation, the right tasks can be executed with the right tools; and for a remote working environment, the right tool would be a collaborative solution that allows members an uninterrupted channel to exchange ideas and progress toward their goals.