Teamwork has played an essential part in the progression of mankind. With teamwork, tasks can be completed quicker and more efficiently. Defined in popular dictionaries as:
‘The combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient,’
teamwork has many benefits, let’s start by addressing those benefits…
A Japanese proverb says:
“A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle.”
Throughout the history of nature, the collective has proved stronger than the sole creature. Wolves have always hunted together because collectively they are more successful in hunting their prey. Although the rewards of the collective hunt are a small share, the chance of actually receiving a share of the spoils is much higher. Humans too quickly learned the power of teamwork. It is known the earliest humans forged clans and hunted side by side for the very same reason.
Let us discuss the reasons why teamwork works. Michael Jordan was the greatest player in the history of basketball. He knew of the power of teamwork:
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships”.
Teamwork is the work of a group working toward a shared goal. However, there must be shared values to achieve that goal.
Communication is a key factor in teamwork. All parties must be able to communicate within the remit of their role and all must understand the remit of their role. If discussions on work performance are scheduled for half an hour each day for each member of the team, each member should partake in the agreed schedule. If it has been agreed 50% of the team must communicate daily, 50% of the team have a duty to do exactly that if teamwork is to succeed. Part of good communication is the ability of the team to be able to argue if necessary and respect each other’s opinions, though as Michael Jordan pointed out intelligence should play a factor behind the argument. It should become an increasing maturity of relationships.
Commitment is as important as communication. For the team to be successful each cog in the wheel needs to perform his or her function. Let us apply this theory to ancient cavemen. Ten cave men have watched the migration of mammoths. They know one mammoth is likely to cross their path each day. If they kill the mammoth their families will eat well for a week. They agree to form a line behind trees with their spears vertical. They wait for the days’ solitary beast to charge toward them. When the mammoth is spotted hurtling toward them, one of the cavemen has deserted his post and has fallen asleep. The beast trundles into open space and speeds away. Teamwork has failed because one of the teams proved he was not committed.
Teamwork Speech
You do not even have to work at an office or school to learn about teamwork, you can start by cooperating with others at home and try to accomplish some common goals – it could be anything from spring cleaning the home to repainting the house. Good teamwork at home in this manner will provide a well-kept home.
The Benefits of Teamwork
With teamwork, you are able to reinforce or make bonds with others. This can help you develop a support base. A primary example can be seen with family functions. During a wedding, there are expected roles played out by different people from family members to the priest or vicar. The father of the bride gives his daughter away. The best man supports the groom. The bridesmaids support the bride to be. All perform their social role. The upshot is the bride and groom become the focus of goodwill and support. Often they will also become financially stronger through the event. Then a year later perhaps it will be another couple’s turn to receive goodwill within the family group and so on. This is a form of social teamwork.
Teamwork Speech
War is a primary example of teamwork in play down the ages. For whatever reason, great armies have been formed and fought horrific battles to win certain prizes. Great chains of teamwork by millions of people were necessary before the second world war could be won. From the boy collecting scrap metal to provide factories with resources to the scientist who relied on books written by many great minds before him, all played their important role in finally winning the conflict. It should be noted we could talk all day of great examples, small and large, though each was equally important when it came to winning the second world war.
Human kind’s teamwork has grown and grown. Products like the smartphone incredibly need ingredients from around the world to function.
From graphite in the battery to the silicon of the processor, there are tens of minerals, compounds, and metals inside every phone.
Several of them are found in tiny quantities. Indium tin oxide allows the touch screen to function. According to the best research, approximately 62 different types of metals are used in the average smartphone with those being usually referred as rare Earth metals the most prominent. These are mined all around the world. The work need to supply the world with smartphones is an incredible example of humankind’s teamwork.
When disasters strike and mankind as a whole faces calamity, that’s when even people who have little in common often strive together to ensure their very survival. The Ethiopian famine is just one example of the calamity facing humankind and thanks to the concentrated efforts on the part of many, Ethiopia is no longer a nation on the brink of total collapse nor is its population facing famine any time soon.
Teamwork is Faster
With teamwork the goal can often be achieved at a faster rate. A good example of this is the team of fishermen. If ten fishermen drop their nets into the sea there is a better chance of catching enough fish to feed their families than the single efforts of one fisherman. And this will be achieved in a much quicker time, especially if fish numbers are low.
To sum up, when we work together with others, the sky is the limit for there’s a lot you can accomplish with teamwork. The fact is that we can accomplish more with it. The next time you are planning to handle a DIY project at home or clean the house, you may want to ask your friends and family members to help to provide a quicker, better job.
