How Well Do Your Employees Work in Teams?

Your organization is composed of many people that work in teams. You might have a sales team, a marketing team or a customer service team. But do your teams work well together? Do their skill sets complement each other? What motivates your team? Do you know how they work best? These are questions you must ask yourself when evaluating your teams and their levels of productivity.

The nature of work is shifting rapidly from individual work to team-oriented work. This shift stems from the university level. College students can easily have three or four group projects in a semester. You may have thought COVID-19 would have decreased the number of group projects, but through the use of technology, the number of team projects a student might participate in has increased. Does this mean that younger people are better at teamwork in comparison to older generations? No, not necessarily. They have had more practice and exposure to it; however, that does not mean they are better. Some people naturally have an individualistic mindset, while others naturally gravitate towards teamwork.

In recent years, Americans have had an individualist mindset – they stress their individual needs over the group’s needs. As humans, we tend to focus on ourselves first. However, people will commit to a team if he or she perceives it to be in their best interest. Companies must learn how to convey the benefits of effectively working in a team.

Sports teams are great examples of how everyone benefits when they work together. For example, a quarterback might have the best throwing arm and can run the ball great, but if he doesn’t have linemen to block for him or a receiver to catch the ball then his team will not be successful. The saying is true, “you are as strong as your weakest link”. You cannot expect to free-ride off other people and gain the same benefits or outcomes as the rest of the team.

Hiring managers must be able to evaluate if a person is naturally individualistic or more team-oriented. This helps ensure the right candidate was picked for the right job. Fortunately, one assessment instrument offered by The Davidson Group does measure the degree to which someone’s individualism is a motivator for their behavior. The more naturally team-oriented a candidate is, the less they’ll have to adapt or modify their behavior to support team goals.

This assessment is a helpful tool during the pre-employment process. If the hiring manager is looking for a sales representative, this person is someone who is going to drive sales and increase market share. They must be a go-getter and great at building connections. If the hiring manager needs a copywriter or an auditor, then it would be best to hire someone with higher levels of individualism. Before filling any position, you want to make sure it is a good fit BOTH ways. Knowing and understanding how people are motivated is important when filling positions for long-term success.

Contact the Davidson Group at 336-294-5053 to learn about our hiring assessment tool.