Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a team to reach a common goal or to finish a job in the very best and efficient way. In addition to practical components needed for efficient teamwork, there are certain features that members of the team must have in order to produce effective teamwork. Firstly, there must be a high degree of interdependence among team members, a feature that stems from open communication and the growth of confidence and risk-taking.
During interdependence come the team dynamics, which are the ways that team members interact with one another. Healthy dynamics lead to team members becoming more fulfilled and therefore functioning more efficiently together, whereas unhealthy dynamics lead to battle, and consequentially to unsatisfied team members.
For this reason, an important characteristic of effective teamwork is healthy conflict resolution, so that comes along with open communication. Team members in high organizational levels have adapted to their ranks at the very top that requires more individualism, and so have trouble engaging in collaborative work. This makes a competitive environment with too little communication and higher levels of conflict.
This drawback is mostly seen organizations that use teamwork in a very hierarchical atmosphere. In order for effective teamwork to exist, a team member needs to get clear and achievable objectives, by which team members can feel motivated and accomplished. Finally, sharing leadership positions between team members enhances teamwork because of the sense of shared responsibility and liability.
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