All for one and One for all – teamwork and work ethic

Most workplaces and roles require cooperation of colleagues on a certain level. Sometimes this only means a simple working relationship, but sometimes it makes necessary to design a real team. Some people can work really well in a team, others are more efficient working alone.

It is a long-known saying that one Hungarian engineer worths three German ones. This is based on our a once-magnificent Hungarian academic system and our approach to work. While schools aimed at delivering a comprehensive knowledge, workplaces expected employees to deal with each and every tasks of theirs on their own. However, according to the second part of the above saying, three German engineers worth thirty Hungarian engineers. The reason behind this is that

on the West attention has been paid for a long time now to teamwork and team building, which in turn is a relatively recent approach here. In many cases, teamwork can provide far more results than the sum of the work of individuals.

Teamwork has many advantages, perhaps the biggest one is the fast and effective exchange of information. Continuous interaction between team members ensures the capture of relevant information and the realization of good ideas. The team's high level of collective knowledge greatly helps in solving problems and contributes to the continuous development and learning of team members. Being aware of the collective responsibility reduces the pressure on individuals, but encourages them to be active. The efficiency of teamwork is so spectacular that many employers are eager to dedicate time and money to team-building training, as a well-functioning team quickly brings back the energy what was put into it. It is no coincidence that candidates ability to work in a team is also an important aspect of the selection process.

Although the benefits of teamwork are obvious, the team is often made up of individuals whose personality, ideas, goals are often difficult to reconcile. Tension can be easily generated between energetic, lively colleagues and objective, thorough ones just like between temperamental, uproarious individuals and withdrawn, reserved characters. The rivalry between team members can also cause a lot of problem. The essence of team building is not to hinder, but to help and complement each other when it comes to opposite personalities. If that succeeds, then not only will our results spectacularly progress, but the work ethic and even the personality of our colleagues will improve.

Of course, sometimes there may be situations where we can achieve more by allowing coworkers less capable of teamwork to work independently. We can make a lot of exceptions for talented subordinates regarding teamwork as well, but in general it is important to find a good team player when it comes to recruiting staff members.