Teamwork is not only vital for a business but for humankind in general. Cities were not built by singular people, but rather by groups displaying great teamwork skills. A company that encourages teamwork in its workplace culture is much more likely to thrive than others – but how is this done?
In this article, Real Business will go over examples of great teamwork in the workplace across several well-known companies, as well as a breakdown of how it was done, and how it can be replicated.
Table of Contents
1. Google: Encouraging Innovation Through Collaboration
Google’s example of good teamwork comes with its introduction of open communication channels throughout their organisation, used to connect one team member with another, contributing ideas that can affect the entire team positively.
The teamwork engrained into the workplace culture of Google is characterised by its promotion of inclusivity, allowing every team member to offer suggestions for projects. This allowed for open communication and active listening between individual team members, building problem-solving skills through cooperation.
This cross-functional strategy bridges the gap between employees and management. Employees see the company’s objectives as theirs since the management promotes interactions to collectively develop products to solve existing challenges.
How Did Google Accomplish This?
Google managed to foster an environment of effective teamwork by instilling psychological safety. Team members who can communicate without fear of reprisal find that the barrier to engaging in effective teamwork is removed.
Furthermore, Google actively seeks to boost job satisfaction and employee morale by allowing each team member to devote 20% of their work hours to projects outside of their formal roles, putting them in positions where they are not only learning new skills but experiencing cross-departmental collaboration.
2. Southwest Airlines: Putting Effective Teamwork At The Heart Of Customer Service
Southwest Airlines is a company that is popular due to its focus on customer service, and its workplace culture is characterised by effective teamwork and consistent training programmes. Through team-building activities, employees provide necessary resources to help employees excel in their respective roles to create a productive team of constantly learning individual members.
A remarkable achievement of Southwest Airlines is how it consistently ranked as a leading airline in multiple customer satisfaction surveys. This is because of its internal company culture that rewards good teamwork, skill development and communication skills, and this translates directly into developing fantastic customer service.
How Did Southwest Airlines Accomplish This?
In Southwest Airlines, the employee comes first, recognising satisfied employees deliver satisfying customer service. They hire individuals who align with their values of friendliness and progressive learning and extend autonomy toward their employees so that they can make decisions based on their initiative. Management practices “servant leadership” styles, meaning they support and mentor employees instead of micromanaging them.
3. Pixar: Building A Culture Of Collaboration For Creative Success
Pixar is an animation studio with an impressive history of producing critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. Part of the secret to their success story is the collaborative culture that allows their different teams to seamlessly work together on the most complex and creative projects.
Employees in Pixar are empowered by allowing different teams to come together and collaborate, enabling idea-sharing between different people.
The incredible success stories of Pixar include the creation of evergreen films like “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” and “The Incredibles”. Every employee including the artists, animators, writers, and directors works together during the production of their different ground-breaking films that resonate with their global audience to achieve unrivalled success.
How Did Pixar Do This?
Pixar shows us teamwork skills examples through the use of brain trust sessions, allowing creators to review ongoing projects and give candid feedback. Daily reviews lead to constructive criticism and gradual improvements over time. All of this while crossing departments and allowing open communication channels. They want their employees to take risks and experiment without fear of failure, to create a new and different experience for viewers.
4. The New York Times: Reinventing Journalism Through Teamwork
Organisations in media and other similar industries should study how The New York Times encourages teamwork among employees of different departments to collectively complete projects. The company has adapted and embraced a working environment that brings together journalists, editors, designers and developers to facilitate fast-paced change to meet the new demands of the digital age.
Through creating a dynamic digital newsroom that is quickly adapting to changing technologies and audience preferences, the New York Times continuously manages to meet its high-quality journalism standards and remain relevant despite the stiff competition.
The commitment to teamwork of the New York Times is a further testament to its successful transition from a print-focused publication to a digital powerhouse. By embracing collaboration and cross-functional teams, the organisation has experienced significant all-around growth, blasting past success metrics and achieving team success. The New York Times is now a leading news source in the modern era.
How Did The New York Times Do This?
By giving journalists and editors access to knowledgeable people about technology and design, each team member from each role can give their specialist knowledge to create a format that meets the demands of today’s digital age. The reader-first digital strategy prioritised projects that enhance reader experience, aligning departments toward a common goal.
5. NASA: Harnessing Teamwork To Reach New Heights
The achievements of NASA in space exploration are proof of what an organisation can achieve with effective teamwork. NASA has a strong collaborative base with scientists, engineers, and other professionals which contributes to its success in outer space.
These include sending astronauts to the moon, launching satellites and exploring the solar system. The internal culture of teamwork, trust, communication and a shared commitment of NASA has been instrumental in achieving its ambitious goals.
One notable achievement is their successful landing of the Mars rover, Perseverance in February 2021. The rover was jointly developed by hundreds of different experts who worked on its design, build, launch and operation. That incredible teamwork and collaboration produced the rover which presently conducts innovative research on the Martian surface.
Look no further to the constant support given to the astronauts on Apollo-5, the spacecraft that experienced a serious fault that would’ve left them stranded in space if not for the Houston base’s help, “Houston, we have a problem”.
How Does NASA Do This?
NASA conducts extensive planning and simulations involving scientists, engineers and other specialists. Each member is responsible for identifying possible issues before launch, and seeing the process in action develops trust within the team that contributes toward successful teamwork.
They use advanced communication networks that allow team members to be in constant contact throughout the missions, reinforcing trust and the feeling of support that is embedded within the many training programmes given to prospective employees.
6. Apple: Creating Iconic Products Through Teamwork
Apple is another example of how good teamwork is important in a workplace. The company is popular for its innovative and iconic products like the iPhone and MacBook, which are the results of an inclusive work environment. Behind the manufacturing scenes, Apple promotes a culture of teamwork that brings together designers, engineers, marketers and other professionals to collaborate on its product development.
The leadership structure of the company and its relationship with employees is a propelling force to the creation of more products that remain functional and aesthetically pleasing. Each team member understands their roles, aligns their skills with specific tasks, and fosters a collaborative environment that encourages personal growth and accountability. Apple has been able to consistently deliver products that resonate with evolving customer expectations.
The launch of the first iPhone in 2007 tells the story of how Apple was able to revolutionise the smartphone industry through its large contributor base that worked together. By encouraging effective collaboration, the company has established itself as a standard for future smartphones.
How Did Apple Do This?
As we’ve seen several examples throughout this blog, Apple forms cross-functional teams including members of different departments. The clear vision assigned to the products, as well as expectations of product quality and design, helped guide teams toward a unified goal. Furthermore, Apple keeps teams engaged in the product by removing external distractions, so they can allow their teams to engage in iterative feedback loops.
7. Starbucks: Embracing Teamwork For A Consistent Customer Experience
We can attribute the global success of Starbucks to its commitment to teamwork. The company treats its employees as “business partners” which encourages them to effectively contribute to collective goals.
That includes creating a consistent and high-quality experience for customers and collaborating on essential processes like product development to store design. The employees also ensure that each Starbucks location delivers the same inviting atmosphere and excellent service.
This strong sense of team spirit has helped the company become a global leader in coffee retail with over 33,000 locations worldwide. Starbucks has also improved its brand’s reputation and customer loyalty during that period all thanks to the internal teamwork structure. The company encourages its employees to provide the highest levels of customer service.
How did Starbucks do this?
Starbucks calls its employees “partners”, giving the impression that team members have shared ownership of the company. Furthermore, they give benefits such as health insurance and stock options that are exclusive to Starbucks employees. There is a level of surveillance that allows management to identify team members that achieve feats and celebrate them.
Conclusion
The growth and development of any organisation hinges heavily on how closely its employees and team members work together. Open communication between departments is a recurring theme in this blog for good reason. Each employee is a specialist in their role, who knows the ins and outs that others don’t.
That being said, it’s undeniable that happy employees contribute more productively than unhappy ones. Your company can achieve more when the employees feel involved in important decision-making. Start making conscious efforts to create a collaborative work environment that benefits everyone today.
FAQ: Examples of teamwork skills
Effective teamwork requires a range of essential skills, including:
- Active listening: The ability to fully engage with others, understand their perspectives, and respond thoughtfully.
- Communication: The ability to clearly articulate ideas, needs, and expectations, and to listen actively to others.
- Conflict resolution: The ability to manage and resolve conflicts constructively and respectfully.
- Problem-solving: The ability to analyse problems, identify solutions, and implement effective solutions.
- Adaptability: The ability to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances, priorities, and deadlines.
- Accountability: The ability to take ownership of tasks, responsibilities, and outcomes, and to be answerable for one’s actions.
- Respect and empathy: The ability to value and respect the contributions, perspectives, and feelings of others.
These essential teamwork skills build productivity and a successful team. By developing these skills, team members can work together more effectively, achieve their goals, and drive success.
Team leaders and members can use a range of strategies alongside these skills to further boost productivity, such as:
- Establishing clear goals, expectations, and roles
- Encouraging open and honest communication
- Building trust through active listening, empathy, and respect
- Fostering a culture of collaboration and teamwork
- Providing training and development opportunities to enhance teamwork skills
- Encouraging constructive feedback and continuous improvement
