Unit of competency:

WORKING IN A
TEAM
ENVIRONMENT
Work as a team member
Working well in a team means:

•Working with a group of people to achieve a shared goal or outcome in an

effective way.
•Listening to other members of the team.
•Taking everyone's ideas on board, not just your own.
•Working for the good of the group as a whole.
•Having a say and sharing responsibility.
Successful Teamwork
A successful team is one where everyone’s unique
skills and strengths help the team achieve a shared
goal in the most effective way.

If you have good people skills you’ll make a good

team player, and skills like communication and
having a positive attitude make a team great.
 Why are teamwork skills important?
Teamwork is vital if you want to work well with colleagues and
teammates. You will probably have to work as part of a team in many
areas of life; from class projects to planning a birthday party.
Even if you work well on your own due to great self management,
being a team player is a valued skill for most jobs.
The better you work with others, the more successful your team will be
in achieving their goals. Employees often need to collaborate or work
with others to complete tasks and projects. Having teamwork skills and
experience will make it a much better experience for you and everyone
on your team.
Teamwork Skills At Work
Most types of work involve you working as a team. Good teamwork
means everyone working well together.
Your teamwork skills can help you at work in all sorts of ways.
Perhaps you’re working in construction and thinking about the
health and safety of yourself and your team mates. Maybe your
team has work together to create a report for a client to a tight
deadline. Teamwork also helps gets things done when you’re
planning a birthday party for someone you work with!
Having teamwork skills will make it a much better experience for
everyone, whether you are working long hours or trying to choose
which cake to buy.
Building teamwork skills at work will help you:

•Achieve a team goal in a quick and positive way

•Improve your communication skills, e.g. listening, taking instruction
and offering support and ideas
Good teamwork skills will give you more chances to move forward in
your career, too. People can see you as someone with a positive
attitude who thinks the company’s goals are important. This can help
you get more opportunities, responsibility, training and promotions
over time.
Teamwork Activities

A great way to build your teamwork skills is to

volunteer for any team projects and say to yourself
“we can do this together.”

Say YES to working in groups

Find opportunities to work in a group. Then make sure

you contribute to the group and help others to get
involved.
Try local volunteering
Lots of groups run in local areas for all
kinds of interests including conservation,
politics, special interests and team
sports. Getting involved in a group is a
great way to build your teamwork skills.

Understand how to work in a team

Communication, planning, problem
solving and negotiating are some of the
skills you will need to develop. Work on
these skills and your teamwork skills will
improve too!
Can You Think As A TEAM?
Ask yourself:
•Do you show a positive attitude with team projects?
•Do you support struggling team members?
•Can you stay calm during group conflict and arguments?
•Do you use problem solving skills to find ways to solve a group’s
problem?
•During group meetings do you listen to other people’s ideas and try
to avoid talking over them?
•Do you ask team members for help when you don’t know how to
do something, so you can learn new things and get your team tasks
done quickly?
Teamwork in the workplace:
10 qualities of an excellent
team player
1. Show Genuine Commitment
Team players are genuinely committed to
their cause. Good team players might
make sure they are in the office when
needed, but great team players will make
“seat” time worth it and contribute as
much as possible. They strive for
excellence.
2. Be flexible
Instead of sitting on the bench watching
the rest of the crew perform, an
outstanding team player wants to see the
magic happen through his or her efforts
as well. They are flexible to the situations
thrown their way, and they participate
and tackle challenges without showing
too many signs of stress or pressure.
3. Don’t stay in the shadows
It is not in your interest to just sit quietly
and get your work done. It’s a good thing
to involved others, as long as you aren’t
bothering people with questions you
should know the answer to. Great team
players come to their teammates having
prepared their ideas clearly.
4. Be reliable and responsible
An excellent team player will be reliable
and responsible. They complete the tasks
in order of priority, not necessarily in
order that they’re given. When you’re not
sure of what should take priority, ask
your manager.
5. Actively listen
You are only a team player if you respectfully consider the
viewpoints and ideas of other people as well. This is why
diverse teams have the potential to so effective, and it all
depends on active listening. Active listening is harder than
you think. When you hear someone saying something you
don’t initially agree with, keep from interrupting and don’t let
your mind prepare any counter remarks. Just listen, and
consider what they’re saying and more importantly, why they
believe that.
6. Keep your team informed
Share your opinion and ideas without
trying to come up with a plan for taking
credit for it. Transparency is key on a
team, so keep your team members
informed. Planning for your own success
is important, but whether you get
promoted may have a lot to do with how
you communicated with your team
members.
7. Always be ready to help
Even if it is not in your job description, be
generous with pointers or tips to help
your team members. For example, if a
member of your team is having trouble
with a technology tool that is easy for
you, offer to sit down with him and show
him what you know.
8. Support and respect others
It seems obvious that you wouldn’t want
to shut someone from your team out, or
laugh at other people’s ideas, but we do
these things in a subtle way, without
realizing it, all the time. It is important to
become more self-aware of how you
treat others. Remember, you’ll receive
respect when you give it to others. An
ideal team player knows how to have fun,
but he would never do it at someone
else’s expense.
9. Be a problem-solver
Your team leader may be working on
solving problems, but there is no reason
why you can’t offer solutions yourself.
Your teammates will appreciate your
skills, and this may pays off later when
your manager considers you for a
promotion!
10. Recognize when you are wrong
A good team player will back off an idea
when it becomes clear it’s not the right
path. If you believe strongly that your
team is making a mistake, you can find a
way to come back to the issue when the
time is right, but being a stubborn stick in
the mud is not a quality of a good team
player.
What Are the Qualities of a Good Team?

Common qualities that successful work teams share include:

•A dedication to the company's goals and/or mission
•A willingness to assist a team member with their tasks/duties, when
necessary
•Superior written and oral communication skills
•Excellent project management skills
•Strong organization skills
•Ability to resolve conflicts successfully and calmly
7 Ways to Be a Good Team Player
1. Meet Your Deadlines

To earn your coworkers' goodwill, you have to be reliable. Put simply: You want
to establish yourself as trustworthy—someone who produces high-quality work
in a timely fashion to meet deadlines. That means, if you say you're going to do
something, you can be trusted to do it and do it well.
Reliability is especially important during group projects; after all, if you miss a
deadline, your mistake can negatively affect the entire team.
2. Be Open-minded

Part of being a team player is being open to other people's ideas and perspectives.
That means honing your listening skills and being receptive to feedback from co-
workers. So, instead of getting defensive when you receive constructive criticism,
see what you can glean from their advice.
In fact, the strongest team players solicit feedback from their coworkers. For
instance, after completing a group assignment, ask your peers for suggestions on
how to improve on your next project.
3. Appreciate Other People's Work Styles

Figuring out how to work well with a variety of personalities can be challenging,
particularly in today's multigenerational workforce, since Millennials and Gen-
Xers often have different work styles than baby boomers. However, understanding
how each of your colleagues works best can make you a better team player.
Tailoring your communication style to different personalities can help you avoid
issues with co-workers and collaborate more efficiently. Take our quick
workplace personality quiz to determine which one of these four common types of
employees describes you best, and how you can work well with the others.
4. Adapt Quickly

Not everything you do as a team is going to result in success; there will be

plenty of flops along the way. But getting hung up on mistakes only throws a
wrench in the gears of progress. That's why flexibility is one of the key traits of
a team player. So, the next time you encounter a problem, make sure you
respond judiciously.
Rather than being upset that something didn't work out, step back and say,
"Okay, I know we have to make a different decision, so let's figure out what
we're going to do."
5. Avoid Office Politics

Strong teamwork is important to a healthy work culture. Office politics can create a
toxic work environment—even when you're working remotely—but you don't have
to be a part of it. Stay out of the rumor mill.
To achieve this, always treat coworkers with respect, and don't become an
office gossipmonger. If you have an issue with a peer, try to address it with the
person directly before bringing it to your boss or human resources.
6. Focus on the Team's Goals

While you want to distinguish yourself as a top performer poised for greatness,
it's still important to focus on the bigger picture when working on a group project.
At the root of being a team player is being willing and able to put the team's
interests above your own. You may have done a stellar job on the part of a
presentation you were responsible for, but that matters very little if the overall
project fails to achieve
7. Celebrate Your Peers' Successes

One of the easiest ways to build authentic relationships with coworkers

is to give credit where it's due.
Team players are intrinsically humble, and humble people have no
problem pointing out the contributions of others rather than seeking the
spotlight for their own. Look to share credit, emphasize team over self,
and define success collectively rather than individually.
For example, at your next department meeting, take a minute to
publicly thank that coworker for helping you put together last week's
client presentation. By celebrating a coworker's success, he or she will
likely do the same for you in the future.
Be a True Team Player
Once you really understand why teamwork is important and
the value of being a team player, you'll want to ensure you're
doing everything you can to support your coworkers. Need
more help to get you through all the uncertainty? When you
set up a free Monster profile, you'll get best practices for
collaborating, career advice, and job search tips sent directly
to your inbox. We've got you covered.