Once the leader of an organization becomes aware of the impact of his decisions, the small actions and the gestures he has with his employees and collaborators, it is when he can really bet on organized and structured work.
The first days of a venture, as I have already mentioned in previous columns, are essential to create the business plan and establish the value offer that we are going to offer to customers. But it is also the moment where the imprint and its work vocation are created, and with this term I refer precisely to that stamp with which the collaborators are going to communicate and unite the synergies to meet the company’s objectives, it does not matter if it is about two, eight, 20, or more than 100 people.
There is no more powerful way to achieve a goal than when personalities, structures and titles are aligned in one purpose. But this pattern is not something that happens spontaneously; It must be promoted from within the company’s organizational culture and must also be encouraged and guided by the organization’s leaders. Otherwise, it will only be a casual effect and it will be destined to disappear as soon as the conditions of the project change, or people are replaced.
Teamwork is not only desirable in an organization, but also embodies an unwavering need, which is present in the same way as the type of product or service to be offered to customers is defined. On different occasions, entrepreneurs invest a great deal of time in measuring and interpreting the behavior of the market, the way in which the competition acts and in the projections that can be achieved, but what happens within the organizations is not always analyzed.
Today the business and productive sector is debating about the true path of teleworking and if it really suits all organizations to implement it, soon and without further prevention we leave behind some of the great lessons that the days of pandemic and preventive isolation in our countries left us. .
A study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) He highlighted that, prior to the pandemic, only 20% of the workforce in the United States and less than 2% in Latin America used the home office model. However, an Adobe Forrester report showed that 67% of the world’s workforce converted to remote work and another 39% of companies highlighted that they will adopt remote work permanently.
As a result of the different changes in the way companies and ventures adjusted internally to stay operational and active over the last two years, the concept of teamwork has also changed and today, thanks to the application of technology and the use of different collaborative tools shows the need to incorporate skills and abilities in the day to day work, to communicate with the different collaborators, assign and develop specific tasks, self-manage and even to report goals and objectives.
A few weeks ago my work team presented me with a proposal to manufacture some sporting goods, and as soon as I saw the first two proposals for balls, I asked them if they had done that work as a team; if they had reviewed all the proposals that they were going to present to me together and if they had selected what seemed to the majority to be the best options. The answer was no, only some had participated.
I told them that I wasn’t going to see any more options and that I was waiting for them to get together and do some real teamwork. As I walked away from the meeting, which was virtual, I learned that everyone stayed to work and brainstormed to come up with what they each thought were the best designs. The result was so productive that at the next meeting I was pleasantly surprised by the proposals, and someone told me thank you for forcing them to work as a team.
I would like to highlight some of its benefits for enterprises to promote this practice and thus serve as a stimulus to carry it out.
- Stimulates creativity: It encourages the creation of ideas and allows finding different solutions to problems, when they are shared they take on special value because it motivates inclusive work in the whole team.
- Provides various points of view: This point helps to give a different approach to the project, in teamwork different opinions of each of the members are shared to reach a conclusion.
- Generates commitment with the times: When working as a team, commitments and tasks are established that the collaborators must fulfill; Thus, business productivity is improved.
- Greater motivation: It allows to have a common purpose for all the collaborators, it is necessary to work under the same direction, which implies commitment and communication during the process. If any member loses perspective, quickly find the motivation to continue with the project.
- Improving interpersonal relationships: Teamwork encourages communication between teams and, consequently, helps boost professional relationships.
- Reduces hierarchical structures: With teamwork, hierarchies are more flexible and participatory, which helps to generate a sense of belonging to the company
- Change stress levels: Sometimes we can get stuck on a task, which makes it difficult for us to move forward in the project and, therefore, the frustration of not finding the solution intensifies. If we work as a team, it will be easier to identify the problem, solve it and continue working, which will be more beneficial for all parties.
I do not want to end without recalling a very valuable aspect. The most genuine spirit of teamwork remains essentially the same. It is not possible to demand the maximum commitment and performance from collaborators, without first having conveyed empathy for the activity they carry out and for the human being behind it.