Is Teamwork a Group Responsibility?

When you think of a team you see people working together to accomplish a common goal. In this respect, all work is teamwork. Unless a person works alone there are others, they depend on to complete their task. Cross-functional teams are a group of people who come together with different areas of expertise to achieve a common goal. These can be groups working on a project as well as in their primary structure in your organization. This means that the group must create a process that enables them to succeed.

This starts with trusting one another, and you need to trust the ability of others and their desire to work together. When trust is lacking the speed that work gets accomplished is slowed and that increases the cost. Members of a team need to trust the different parts of your organization can come together to fulfill their commitments. It is important for members of a team to get to know one another, and a lot can be learned by helping people get out of their department and work with other individuals.

When a team is established, they need to identify the skills needed to complete the task. The best teams are comprised of individuals who are independent self-starters who are willing to help other succeed. There needs to be clearly defined goals and clear objectives. A budget needs to be discussed and divided among the members of the team. Schedules need to be put in place and a way to check progress at various stages. One of the most important elements of a successful team is establishing lines of communication to define how people will work together. The best teams have healthy interactions including passionate conversations about what is best for the team. If all these things are put in place, the team can be innovative and meet the challenges that arise and need to be addressed. Not only will the organization benefit, but the members will also grow in the process.