However, a group of people that work together is not automatically a team.
When working with leadership teams to discover core values, teamwork inevitably surfaces as a core value, a differentiator of the business.
I truly don’t believe I’ll ever walk into a company and hear “we celebrate individual success above all else and have the value of everyone fighting for themselves”.
But what really is meant by teamwork? The concept is clear, but the definition is not.
What truly makes for great teamwork is frequently misunderstood.
I hear teams saying they are a great team because:
- We all work together
- We look for what needs to be done and do it
- We all jump in and help wherever
- We’re flexible and all do a bit of everything
- We determine who takes a task based on who has time
- We’re all accountable for everything
Hard work and cooperation aren’t enough
Invariably the leaders I work with are smart, dedicated, and hard working – their heart is in the right place.
But the approach of “we pile in and get stuff done as quickly as we can” is destroying efficient and effective teamwork.
A lack of clarity in structure, accountability, processes, systems, resources and budgets means issues get managed not solved forever.
Teamwork is not just being friendly and willing to do anything to plug a gap.
Lack of crystal-clear structure means there is confusion, things get missed or dropped. Everyone is understanding – we’re all just human – and believe great teamwork is done when the situation is rescued.
Lack of clarity in accountability means fixing things at the root and ensuring issues go away forever doesn’t happen. The team is destined to drop another ball and waste time recovering again.
Communication becomes a challenge; lack of structure requires everyone to know everything to keep the right hand coordinated with the left. Multiple people end up working on the same matter as communication fails.
It’s unclear who to talk to about any specific issue. Because there is no fixed person or process. How something is delivered this month is different to last month. Lessons are continually relearnt rather than the knowledge captured into core processes that save time, making things easier to manage.
Heidi Roper from View HR observes “teams frequently believe working hard for each other is the same as working productively” and goes on to say that “it’s more complex to get out of the bad habits than you’d think”.
The point is breaking the habit requires the team to intentionally shift gears, step out of the day-to-day busy work and work on being a better team. The good news is that its not hard and pays back quickly.
Clarity in structure
Great teams have clear structure, they hold each other to account. They challenge for the greater good and support each other to get better outcomes.
Clear structure starts with an Accountability Chart, in black and white. This was popularised by Gino Wickman in his business bestselling book Traction.
The Accountability Chart identifies the best way to arrange the major functions in the business. Then for every seat in the business the five key roles. These are the key accountabilities for the person sat in the seat.
The surprising truth is that teams often think they already know who is accountable for what without it being written down. Yet ask them to write it down and everyone has a different version! And that’s the problem.
Hard work and dedication are still needed in great teams. Add structure and clarity to accountability and the outcomes are so much better.
With everyone clear on their five main roles, the key things for which they are accountable, they are enabled to focus on delivering, perfecting, and systemizing those activities in the business.
Good people thrive in such teams, they finally get to fix the things, once and for all, that otherwise never get solved.
That’s a great team that delivers great teamwork.
About the Author
Tim Watson is a business founder and savvy digital marketer with a track record of adding millions to the revenue line. His passion now is helping other entrepreneurs get more of what they want from their business. Contact: tim@tractionsix.co.uk.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]