How Teamwork Affects the Success of Your Startup

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Team Work as a Competitive Advantage (54-page PDF document). Team work is not only an effective tool within the organization, it is a competitive tool for those companies that grow it as an organizational skill! What are the essentials for team building. What is the difference between a group and a real team? How to address the issues of collaboration? [read more]

* * * *

Can one person build an empire without a team? Practice shows that it’s unlikely. In fact, every success story is closely related to a well-coordinated team. This means that everyone who strives for great achievements needs to create a trusted circle of people and make sure that they realize their potential to the fullest!

Thus, in this article, we talk about what real teamwork is and what results it should lead to. Our research will be useful for those who already have a startup or are just thinking about founding their own business.

Of course, building any company requires your full dedication. But if you find it hard to concentrate due to deadlines, think about outsourcing! Just google “write my research paper by WritePaper writers,” and you will quickly find the most talented professionals. When trusting them with your assignments, you can be sure of the excellent quality and perfect timing. Specialists have years of experience behind them, so they know exactly what your task needs.

Teamwork VS. Usual Interactions: What’s the Difference?

Initially, the term “team” was applied to athletes, but later it got popular in the business field too. The main thing is that a small group of three to twelve people has common goals, common rules and common values. In turn, teamwork is an effective and productive activity aimed at a certain result.

Here are its main features:

• Collaboration. A team is a single organism that moves together in one direction. Each participant complements the other;
• Positioning. Each employee has their own responsibilities and tasks;
• Communication. Workers are supposed to be open with others and aimed for solutions, not for conflicts;
• Synergy. The result achieved by the group must be better than the one achieved by one single person.

Interestingly, it has been proven that the smaller the team, the more productive it is. Teams of up to 5 people work faster. Perhaps that is why small startups are often more successful than large companies.

Why Is the Team Effective?

Let’s agree: everyone is endowed with talents and unique skills. Now, imagine what can be done if you bring together several people from different fields. When specialists with various competencies gather together, they can come up with extraordinary ideas. And not only do they find them, but they also implement them.

The joint work gives more effects to the company than if everyone fends themselves.

Moving on to the next factor, why not study brainstorming in detail? When all members discuss projects and analyze decisions, the probability of mistakes is lower. Several people will quickly notice an error and thus, will come up with ways to get rid of it.

There are fewer inaccuracies in the process.

Finally, in a team, participants can prove themselves in the most unexpected way and develop a lot of competencies. Carl Jung once said: “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” The situation is the same in a team: you never know how others can inspire you.

Employees are free to discover their potential. 

And last but certainly not least, teamwork teaches us how to make connections and increases emotional intelligence. Thus, we show empathy, listen to others and respect their feelings. Specialists with such skills are highly valued in the labor market. Believe us, once you create such conditions for the growth of your team, you will earn a reputation as a brilliant employer. This means that promising people will come to you.

The rise in the influx of talented specialists.

A Few Illustrative Examples

The first startup that comes to mind is perhaps Steve Jobs’s. Jobs acquired a small company for himself in the late 1990s. Initially, the office was located in a building with three separate rooms for animators, computer scientists, and managers. However, the biggest changes came when Jobs put employees in one open space where they could communicate and solve problems together.

The second example comes from the music industry. Surely, it’s impossible to be indifferent to The Rolling Stones: this legendary band hasn’t lost popularity for more than 50 years! The musicians revealed their secret once, and this is a team approach.

Before each tour, the group has plenty of rehearsals to work out a common rhythm. So, Keith Richards keeps an eye on Charlie Watts’ playing hand to catch the moment if he’s lost. Then he gives a sign to Ronnie Wood that he needs to adjust to the rhythm. As a result, everyone knows their role and complements each other harmoniously.

And finally, we want to share an interesting observation from Google. The company came to the conclusion that the team’s strength depends not on how professional its’ members are but on how safe they feel when in a group. Each employee must believe that a team is a place where you can feel comfortable, and this is crucial to establishing credibility.

What Makes a Team Successful?

There are certain rules to make the team thrive:

• Each member’s ability to express their point of view;
• Useful feedback;
• The atmosphere of respect and understanding;
• As Plato said, everyone should mind their own business (more precisely, do things they are good at).

Pros and Cons of Teamwork

Now let’s summarize the main advantages of teamwork:

1. Performing tasks that one person can’t do;
2. Reducing the risk of making a wrong decision or missing something important;
3. The team eliminates the so-called “dead zones”;
4. A cool ambiance attracts new employees to your startup.
5. But of course, nothing is perfect. Therefore, here are the cons that require your attention as well:
6. Employees must get used to each other, and this takes time;
7. Again, discussions take time, although they are valuable;
8. Teamwork can delay decisions as they are made after consensus.

Sometimes, the team never comes to a joint decision. But luckily, this can be solved thanks to business games or coaching sessions.

To Wrap It Up

When we work as a team, it allows us to learn from each other and expand our horizons. No wonder they say that two heads are better than one. And this is especially true when solving complex problems and brainstorming. The result is more ideas and increased productivity. Not to mention the emotional state and motivation of employees. After all, when we are together, it is easier for us to take risks, try the unknown and push the boundaries!

Do You Want to Implement Business Best Practices?

You can download in-depth presentations on Teamwork and 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.

For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

• Top 100 in Strategy & Transformation
• Top 100 in Digital Transformation
• Top 100 in Operational Excellence
• Top 100 in Organization & Change
• Top 100 Management Consulting Frameworks

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.