Teamwork and its Benefits
Two heads are stated to be stronger than one, which explains the value of teamwork. Teamwork helps people to exchange and brainstorm ideas and experiences, which contribute to stronger and more inclusive outcomes.
A Child's Role in a Team
A child's job as a member of a team starts whether he or she connects with the other kids so that he or she can accomplish a shared goal. For instance, they work together to accomplish something normal while children play. Talking groups introduce a student to teamwork at college. The combined effort enhances a student's confidence and provides an opportunity for the individual to gain various perspectives on certain topics.
Teamwork in the Workplace
The same can be said about teamwork in workplaces, where employees combine their ideas and skills to generate a result or develop a project. Cooperation, willingness to work as part of a group and respect for people's ideas are some of the factors that characterize teamwork. However, not all people are comfortable working in groups; some people prefer to handle projects or tasks alone. Additionally, teamwork becomes a problem when more individualized work is handled in groups.
Enhanced Production Through Teamwork
Enhanced production is one of the benefits of working as part of a group both in colleges and the workplace. People have different ideas and perspectives towards things. When they come together and share ideas, more and better quality solutions are achieved. Teamwork allows for different ideas to be fused into one efficient and effective idea. Group work promotes accountability particular when work is divided amongst the group members where each has to research and do a presentation of their findings. It keeps everyone on their toes and promotes positive competition and enhances motivation. Also, the shared responsibility allows people to learn how to wade through a crisis as a team (Reddy 2017).
Leadership and Communication Skills
Conflicts are common when people work together because of tension, disagreements, and frustrations. However, the shared responsibility makes people learn how to handle frustrations and disagreements without getting personal. Leadership qualities and communication skills are enhanced when people work as a team. Teamwork requires interaction and participation among the members. When sharing ideas, people learn to communicate their opinion without disrespecting those of others. Also, groups need mediators and leaders who ensure that the members do not divert from the topics of discussion. Such a role improves a person's leadership qualities.
Disadvantages of Teamwork
On the other hand, teamwork has some disadvantages which push people to want to work alone. Unequal participation is a disadvantage of teamwork (Reddy 2017). Some people choose to sit and let others do all the work. Shared responsibility becomes a problem resulting in conflict. Also, unequal participation leads to blame game when things fail to work out. Those who choose not to participate blame the others who participated saying that their work was not of good quality yet the former do not give their input during group work. Working in teams takes a longer process than working alone because of the different opinions given by all the team members. It also takes time to merge the various ideas into one project or idea. Some people do not like working in groups because of various reasons such as limited creativity (Hackman 2002, p 248). Putting such a person in a team will make them less effective and the individual may fail to participate. They struggle to fit in and purpose to work towards promoting the goals of the workplace or the group and the put their ideas on hold. Teamwork means that a person had to put up with a leader who is overbearing and members who try to outshine others (Reddy 2017). Such situations result in conflict which makes it difficult for people to arrive at conclusions.
Coping with Teamwork
It is impossible to avoid teamwork in colleges and the workplace and thus, people should learn how to cope with others to ensure that teamwork is successful. To overcome the drawbacks of teamwork, I will purpose to understand the objectives of the group. The reasons why the team was formed and what it intends to achieve. This will ensure that discussions are centered on the objectives of the team. Also, to avoid conflict, I will respect people's ideas even if they differ with mine. This will help reduce conflict and the time it takes to arrive at a conclusion. I will advise my team members not to take anything personally; rather, teamwork should be viewed as a learning process. Overbearing team leaders should be told of the weakness and how it affects the entire group. The matter should be approached politely so that the individual does not feel like the members are ganging up against him or her.
Conclusion
In conclusion, teamwork is beneficial because it results in better quality of output and promotes confidence, communication skills, and leadership skills. Shared responsibility promotes accountability and positive competition which pushes people to give their best and utilize their full potential in the team. However, some people work best alone because they feel limited when they work in a team. Additionally, conflicts make it hard for decisions to be arrived at by prolonging the entire process. There is a need for group objectives to be defined, so that people can work towards a common goal.
Reference List
Hackman, J.R., 2002. Why teams don't work. In Theory and research on small groups (pp. 245-267). Springer US.
Reddy, C., 2017, September 19. Top 11 advantages and disadvantages of Working in a Team - WiseStep. Available from https://content.wisestep.com/top-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-working-in-a-team/ [9 Nov 2017]
