Team Work in the Workplace

Crystal Mapes

Business Communication Skills for Health Care Professionals/ HCS/131

November 23rd, 2015
Elizabeth Bowman

Team Work in the Workplace

Team work in the workplace is essential it helps employees learn how to work together and is vital to the development of each staff member. Working in teams enhances problem-solving skills and improves overall organizational effectiveness. All members on the team can contribute expertise so that outcomes may be more successful. In order for teams to be effective each member needs to contribute ideas, acknowledge each other’s inputs, collaborate, and negotiate. Remain positive and be respectful.
Effective Team Communication and Collaboration Learning how to communicate and work well in team settings will help your career and your company. Communicating openly and honestly, understanding their purpose, think creatively, stay focused, and resolve conflict is all a part of effective teams. In order for teams to function optimally, the members need to operate on the basic of clearly defined goals. When working on a team you need to be able to make meaningful contributions to the group. Having the ability to think critically and solve problems logically are indispensable team skills. The success of any team is dependent upon the member’s abilities to voice their ideas clearly and concisely and to listen objectively. Conflict can be constructive if it forces important issues into the open, this increases the involvement of team members, and generates creative ideas for solving a problem. Conflict in a team setting isn’t necessarily bad, as long as team members can stay focused on the goal. To collaborate effectively, everyone involved needs to be flexible and open to other opinions, focusing on the team objectives rather than individual priorities. Working together to meet complex challenges has become a core job responsibility, the productivity and quality of collaboration efforts depend on communication skills. Choose a combination of people who together have the experience, talent, information needed for each project. Ensuring each member has a clear understanding of what the team hopes to accomplish. In addition, each member needs to agree on project goals, to establishing clear processes and avoid writing as a group. When you are giving feedback, making it constructive by focusing on the material that can be improved. When you receive constructive feedback on your writing, keep your emotions in check and view it as an opportunity to improve. Remember when giving feedback, avoid personal attack s and give the person clear guidelines for improvement. Receiving constructive feedback, you should resist the urge to defend your work or deny the validity of the feedback.

Conclusion When teams are operating effectively all the members can derive great personal satisfaction from the what they are accomplishing. Team members who feel a genuine sense of belonging they are much more likely to be productive than teams where members feel a lack of connection. Team members should be flexible, open-minded, and compromise when necessary. Members may be very different from one another; each member deserves to be treated with respect. Allowing each individual, the opportunity to voice their views and are listened to fairly. Remaining open to criticism isn’t easy especially when you’ve poured your heart and soul into a project, but good feedback provides a valuable opportunity to learn and to improve the quality of your work.

References
Louise Rehling, “Improving Teamwork Through Awareness of Conversational Styles,” Business Communication
Quarterly, December 2004, 475–482.

Business Communication Essentials, Sixth Edition, by Courtland L. Bovée and John V. Thill. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc.