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Effective teamwork creates its own set of characteristics that makes it possible to see the cohesion in a group. When an efficient team gets to work, the structure that has been put into place helps the group obtain productive results. In order to create a productive team, you first need to be able to identify the characteristics of effective teamwork.
Pillars of Effective Teamwork
Pillars of Effective Teamwork are as follows
- Unified Commitment to a Goal
- Participation
- Open Communication
- Decision Making
- Efficient use of Ideas
Unified Commitment to a Goal
A team is created to complete the goals it is given. An effective team is committed to completing its goal by using the team’s resources. It does not mean that as individuals the people that make up the team share the same point of view or are all in agreement on what is best for the group. It means that when the team is presented with a goal, they can come together and work as a single unit to complete the task.
Participation
In order for a team to act as a team everyone must be participating in the creation of a solution. A team does not have extra members. Each member of a team is essential to the team’s success, and when the group is given a task, each member knows what their job is and sets out to put in their fair share of the effort.
Open Communication
A team is able to communicate effectively and there is a feeling of open communication between all members of the group. Issues within a team are handled by face-to-face communication. Team members do not talk behind each other’s back as there is a respect developed among team members that necessitates direct and open communication on all issues.
Decision-Making
A team has a hierarchy and a built-in decision-making system that helps it to react quickly and effectively to all situations. The members of the group are respected for their various areas of expertise, and the leader of the group has developed the ability to obtain the group members’ opinions to formulate the group’s response. This applies to decisions made within the group ranging from resolving internal conflict to a potential change in group leadership.
Efficient Use of Ideas
Brainstorming is one way that groups come up with the solution to a problem. An effective team is able to gather information from each member and formulate that information into a response. The team becomes adept at dismissing ideas that will not work, and including effective ideas into what would become the team’s solution to an issue.
