A study conducted by the i4cp (Institute for Corporate Productivity) Rob Cross, Edward A. Madden (Professor, Global Business at Babson College) found that top employers are 5.5 times more likely to promote individual, team, and leader collaboration in the organization.
Teamwork undeniably fosters creativity and enhances overall organizational productivity. However, amid these benefits lie unspoken challenges of teamwork that can lead to a frustrating collaborative experience. Many organizations resort to employee engagement software to address these teamwork-related issues effectively.
This article aims to shed light on common questions such as “What challenges do you typically encounter in teamwork within your organization? How do you approach overcoming them?” Delve into valuable insights to navigate and tackle the challenges of teamwork for a more harmonious and productive collaborative environment.
5 Challenges of Teamwork
There are multiple challenges of working in a team. As a leader, one has to be available for their team members and must understand their concerns to ensure that they stay productive and engaged. The following are some of the teamwork challenges and how one can overcome them.
1. Role Uncertainty
Role uncertainty is one of the most common challenges of group work. There are a lot of differences between working as an individual employee and working as a part of a team. When you work with a team, your responsibilities are shared with other team members.
This culture of shared responsibilities might be a little hard to get used to if you have never worked with a team before. Working with many people can create confusion about your role in the team, resulting in multiple people taking up the same responsibility or leaving out some vital tasks. Asking the manager of the team clearly about your role in the team could help avoid these situations.
2. Lack Of Trust
When you work as an individual, you are used to making decisions and completing tasks individually. But when you work with a team, you have to trust your teammates and let them make a few decisions for the team.
Sometimes, team members make mistakes and it could be hard for you to trust them with any other decision. But as a team, it is important to trust your teammates and function. Building trust goes a long way in resolving the challenges of group work.
3. Unclear Goals
Some employees perform better when they function as a team, and some perform better than individual contributors. One reason for this could be setting the right goals. You can easily set the right goals for yourself as an individual contributor, but when you are a part of the team, you have to consider your teammates before setting goals.
One of the most common reasons for conflicts in teams is the ambiguity of goals. If you are not on the same page with your other teammates about your goals, it affects the productivity of the entire team, so communicate with the team/ manager and be clear about your goals.
4. Disengagement
Disengagement is one of the most common challenges of group work faced by everyone in the workplace. Teams tend to get disengaged when there’s a lack of proper direction or vision. Team members fail to understand their role in the bigger picture, which leads to lack of motivation.
Disengagement in teams is often a result of lack of clarity on team goals and how they contribute to the organization.
Some employees contribute more to a team than the rest of the team. The reason is not always that they feel responsible for the team, the share of their contribution depends on their individual talent and efficiency. But sometimes, these talent differences cause conflicts between team members.
Some employees of the team could be slower and less efficient than the rest. This could decrease the overall productivity of the team which could be frustrating for the high-performers of the team causing conflicts within the team. To avoid this, the goals should be set based on their capability and skills.
How To Overcome Teamwork Challenges?
1. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
To combat role uncertainty, establish clear and defined roles for each team member. Make sure everyone knows their specific duties and how their tasks contribute to the overall project. Regularly review and update these roles as the project evolves.
Solution:
Clearly outline each team member’s responsibilities at the start.
Maintain an accessible document that tracks roles and responsibilities for easy reference.
Regularly review roles during meetings to ensure everyone stays aligned.
2. Build Trust
To address the lack of trust within a team, focus on fostering open communication and collaboration. Encourage a safe space where team members can share ideas, express concerns, and give feedback.
Solution:
Promote transparent and honest communication.
Implement team-building activities that encourage cooperation.
Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements to build confidence in each other’s capabilities.
3. Set Clear Goals
To tackle unclear goals, set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals that all team members understand and agree upon. Ensure everyone is on the same page with what is expected and how success is defined.
Solution:
Define and communicate SMART goals to the team.
Engage team members in collaborative goal-setting to create buy-in.
Conduct regular goal check-ins to track progress and adjust as needed.
4. Increase Engagement
To overcome disengagement, ensure that each team member understands the value of their contributions and how their work ties into the bigger picture. Make sure the team feels connected to the mission and motivated.
Solution:
Clearly articulate the team’s vision and how individual tasks contribute to it.
Regularly acknowledge contributions and successes to boost morale.
Personalize tasks to match team members’ strengths and interests, making them feel more engaged.
5. Manage Talent Differences
To address talent differences, tailor task assignments based on each individual’s strengths and abilities. Ensure that high performers are not overburdened, while also providing growth opportunities for those with less experience.
Solution:
Assign tasks that align with team members’ strengths and skills.
Implement mentorship or cross-training programs to bridge skill gaps.
Foster a team-first mindset by encouraging collaboration rather than competition.
We hope this article helps you manage your team effectively. Do let us know about the ways you use to overcome teamwork challenges in your organization. Tell us about the challenges you face when working in groups in the comments below.
Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you manage the challenges of teamwork? Talk to our team experts!
Srikant Chellappa is the Co-Founder and CEO at Engagedly and is a passionate entrepreneur and people leader. He is an author, producer/director of 6 feature films, a music album with his band Manchester Underground, and is the host of The People Strategy Leaders Podcast. He is currently working on his next book, Ikigai at the Workplace, which is slated for release in the fall of 2024.