Teamwork & Collaboration 

Working with others toward shared goals; creating group synergy in the pursuit of collective goals 

 

People with this competence:  

• Enjoy working cooperatively with others;

• Draw all members of a group into active and enthusiastic participation;

• Build team identity, esprit de corps, and commitment;

• Protect the group and its reputation; share credit;

• Share plans, information, and resources;

• Put team goals before individual goals;

• Interacts well with all different personalities and work styles on the team; and

• Demonstrates trust in, and respect for, all team members. 

 

People lacking this competency:  

• Prefer working alone; do not coordinate their efforts with others;

• Fail to take on their fair share of the team’s responsibilities;

• Withhold information and help from others on the team;

• Undermine or discount team decisions and team actions outside the team;

• Avoid conflict and the opportunity to resolve differences with other team members;

• Tend to view the team as an obstacle to getting work done;

• Fail to abide by team norms and standards; and

• Fail to support the decisions of the team.

 

Development tips:  

• Seek out opportunities to work with others; take a genuine interest in learning more about their work and how you can support them;

• Keep other team members informed of your work, timelines and priorities;

• Share equipment, materials, funds and resources with other team members;

• Publicly credit other team members who have done well;

• Solicit others’ points of view, particularly quiet members;

• Avoid taking control of the agenda or being the first to make suggestions; be aware of dominating team meetings;

• Bring conflict out into the open and encourage all to resolve it; and

• Treat co-workers with courtesy and respect; demonstrate trust in fellow team members.

 

Great Resources: 

• Teamwork: What Must Go Right, What Can Go Wrong,by Carl Larson and Frank

• LaFasto When Teams Work Best, by Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson 

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni

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