Video:How to Build a Teamwork Culture

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Transcript:How to Build a Teamwork Culture

Hi! This is Angela Lussier for About.com, and today, and today, we're talking about how to build a teamwork culture.

Teamwork Shouldn't be Forced

Force it? Many employers think that by putting many different people together from different departments, they can get many creative ideas and brainstorming out of them because they think differently. This is a mistake because often, you're not getting buy-in from the people involved.

They've come together to solve a problem, but they may not know each other, they don't understand why it's important, and they can't figure out the answer because they've never worked together before and they don't understand the purpose.

Make the Goals Clear to Promote Teamwork

Create a goal that everyone is responsible for meeting. Rather than just focusing on department goals, pick one goal that everyone can strive to work for. This helps build camaraderie and a sense of teamwork, because everyone is working together instead of their own personal goals.

Address the question, what's in it for me? If your company is based on a traditional model, where everyone is doing work for themselves, you want to think about why they would start to think about teamwork. How is that important for them, and how is that going to make their life better?

Ask Coworkers About Their Working Environment

Conduct anonymous surveys. If you're trying to understand how people could work better together, ask them! When people feel like they're part of the decision making process, the planning, the goal setting, and the execution of a really smart goal, it helps them feel like they're part of the team.A few additional ways to gain buy-in from your employees are through focus groups or one-on-one confidential meetings, held with a human resources director, a high level manager, or even the owner of a company.

Thanks for watching! To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com.