Teamwork makes the dream work. This is a phrase we have all heard for years, and yet why is it so difficult for many of us to achieve our dream? Could it be that the words are just empty? What about this one “a chain is as strong as…” you know how it finishes, and yet, how strong are we? And do we really practice teamwork?
Many companies even have teamwork as a core value and yet, when you look closely, do they really practice it?
When a new company starts up, the culture takes on the persona of the founders, and is easy to recognize, and sometimes it is even easy to duplicate. In many cases, as the company grows, the culture tends to diminish. Why?
While the culture of a company begins at the top, it is the smaller teams that either carry that culture forward or break it apart. Sometimes it happens slowly, like a cancer eating away, and before you know it the entire culture has changed. Other times it happens quickly like when there two companies merge. Whatever the cause, poor teamwork practices have a long lasting, and damaging affect on productivity.
You may be familiar with the four stages of team development Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. The tough part is recognizing when and how a team retreats. It is in this retreating phase that the culture of a team begins to change and in many cases fall apart.
Here are four factors that cause many teams to fail and damage the company culture.
It’s just a job: When the majority of employees feel they are there for a job, and a paycheck, they simply put in their required time and go home.
Employees in Companies with Winning Cultures (CWWC) see the bigger goal and develop a “whatever it takes” mentality to win.
Out for themselves: When employees have personal agendas they tend to think about themselves and whatever they can do to get the next promotion or raise.
CWWC have employees that stick together and help each other even when things get tough. Not because they have; rather because they want to.
Not my job: Employees who feel like it is “not their job” when given an assignment display signs of not wanting to grow. When they chose not to grow they become stagnant and can limit the growth of the team
CWWC employees not only want to grow themselves, they see the power of helping others grow. As the team grows, so grows the organizational culture.
Lone Ranger Syndrome: When employees work by themselves, creativity deteriorates, energy is zapped, and employee moral decays.
CWWC recognize the power of teamwork and that teamwork enriches creativity, energizes the team, and generates greater productivity.
CWWC recognize the power and effect that teamwork has on the overall culture of an organization. This is why those companies spend the amount of time and money they do on developing their teams.
While the culture begins at the top, it is enriched in creating and nurturing winning teams, and winning teams begin with hiring the right people.
When teamwork is truly in place, a whole new culture emerges and the organization is transformed. So, what’s holding your team back from becoming a Company With a Winning Culture?
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