Team Working

One of the many Employability Skills. Most jobs require you to work with other people. Employers will usually want someone to be able to demonstrate that they can get along with other people to maintain harmony amongst employees.

People within an organisation will have their own particular area of interest and specialism. Being able to discuss ideas with a group of people so that the company gets the most out of everyone is an important aspect of team working. One particular focus in team working is that of having well-defined roles for each member and this can be particularly effective where routine activities need to be carried out on a frequent basis. Team working is a more structured approach, along the lines of a traditional pyramidal approach to line management, than the skill of collaboration, and this provides a formal approach to responsibilities and delegation capabilities.

In the modern working environment few people can carry out their job effectively without the involvement of several other people along the way. If you can show that you are able to work well with others, then this will contribute to improving your effectiveness but also that of the team and organisation. Within a team situation it is important that everyone is able to contribute to the team and that others listen to what they have to say. Having an ability to consider what others have said, reflect on suitable options and influence decisions can also provide an employer with an indication of your leadership skills. The decision-making aspect for team working also follows the traditional top-down approach, so whilst contributions are valued, the direction of the decisions is heavily weighted to senior management.

Disruption amongst employees can incur unnecessary cost to an employer through reduced productivity, increased employee illness and possible further recruitment if staff leave.

You will need to show you can help others, individually and helping out for the benefit of the team and also ask for help where required. Being able to build and maintain working relationships is an important part of a successful team and organisation.

Within a learning environment, the ability to be a team player is still relevant because you may work on a project or assignment with one or more people. Being able to work together will make it much easier for everyone to achieve the end result, which is usually to pass the assessment requirements at the end of the day.

One other aspect of being a team player that should not be overlooked is that you can build friendships, which extend beyond the workplace. All of this can help you to maintain and improve your social life and also to possibly gain new interests in life. Make the employability skill of being a team player something that works for you outside of the workplace as well.