Teamwork - Competency
Definition: Teamwork is the ability to communicate openly, listen actively, and build strong interpersonal relationships that value diverse perspectives and foster a collaborative, inclusive environment. It involves contributing to shared decision‑making, adapting to changing team dynamics, and modeling the behaviors (participation, reliability, fairness, and professionalism) that strengthen trust and cohesion. Effective Teamwork also includes coaching and supporting others, recognizing contributions, and creating team‑building structures that reinforce collective effort and high performance. Ultimately, it reflects a commitment to working well with others, sharing responsibility, and creating a climate where every team member feels respected, motivated, and aligned toward common goals.
360-Feedback Surveys Measuring Teamwork:
Survey 1 (4-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 2 (4-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 3 (5-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 4 (5-point scale; radio buttons)
Survey 5 (4-point scale; words)
Survey 6 (4-point scale; words)
Survey 7 (5-point scale; competency comments; N/A)
Survey 8 (3-point scale; Agree/Disagree words; N/A)
Survey 9 (3-point scale; Strength/Development; N/A)
Survey 10 (Comment boxes only)
Survey 11 (Single rating per competency)
Survey 12 (Slide-bar scale)
Survey 13 (4-point scale; numbers; floating anchors)
Survey 14 (4-point scale; N/A)
Self-Comments: Do you have to complete a self-assessment or performance appraisal? If so, the
self-comments here may help.
What is Teamwork?
Teamwork is the foundation of effective collaboration, where individuals come together to communicate openly, listen actively, and build strong interpersonal connections. Effective teamwork requires team members to participate in discussions, share relevant information, and engage in thoughtful dialogue to ensure mutual understanding. By fostering a culture of collaboration, organizations encourage employees to appreciate different perspectives, work through challenges together, and create meaningful relationships that drive collective success.
Beyond communication, teamwork depends on shared decision-making, flexibility, and strong leadership. Team members must consider the impact of their choices, support group decisions, and adapt to evolving team dynamics without resistance. Those who actively participate as role models, provide coaching, and recognize their colleagues' contributions help reinforce a work environment that values fairness and respect. When employees embrace teamwork-building strategies, they strengthen networks across departments and cultivate a unified workforce dedicated to achieving shared goals.
At its core, teamwork is a commitment to shared success, requiring trust, accountability, and mutual support. Rewarding and recognizing contributions fosters motivation, while ensuring fair participation enhances equity within the team. Strong supervision helps guide individuals toward common objectives, while diverse perspectives enrich decision-making processes. Through effective teamwork, organizations create a collaborative, high-performing culture that drives innovation, efficiency, and long-term growth.
Would you like any refinements? Why are Teamwork skills important in the workplace?
The different perspectives of team members help create more options for problem-solving and decision making. The workload can be divided among different team members for increased efficiency. Good teamwork is facilitated by communication and interpersonal relationships. Teamwork environments also provide opportunities for individuals to develop their leadership skills. What are key aspects of Teamwork?
Key aspects of teamwork include:- Communication
- Listening
- Interpersonal Relationships
- Collaboration
- Team Building
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Leadership / Coaching
How can I improve my Teamwork Skills?
- Encourage Open Communication - Foster an environment where employees feel comfortable voicing their ideas, concerns, and feedback. Lead by example in active listening and constructive dialogue.
- Cultivate Collaboration - Promote teamwork by organizing cross-functional projects, encouraging employees to work together, and emphasizing the value of collective problem-solving.
- Recognize and Reward Contributions - Regularly acknowledge team members' efforts and successes through appreciation, incentives, or informal shoutouts, reinforcing a culture of teamwork.
- Develop Strong Interpersonal Bonds - Build rapport with employees and encourage them to form relationships within the team by creating opportunities for engagement and team-building activities.
- Lead by Example - Actively participate in discussions, make decisions that consider the team's best interests, and demonstrate professionalism, adaptability, and fairness in leadership.
- Encourage Flexibility and Adaptability - Emphasize the importance of adjusting to new team dynamics, embracing changes, and approaching challenges with a positive mindset.
- Coach and Support Employees - Provide guidance, mentorship, and constructive feedback to help employees strengthen their teamwork skills and collaborate more effectively.
- Promote Shared Decision-Making - Involve employees in discussions that affect the team, ensuring that decisions are made collectively and reflect diverse perspectives.
What questions could be included on a 360-degree survey that measure teamwork?
The questionnaire items below will measure teamwork. These questions are grouped into different facets of teamwork skills. When creating a 360-degree or other performance assessment, try to select one or two items from each group. 360-Feedback questions that measure Teamwork
CommunicationCommunication focuses on actively expressing ideas, sharing information, and fostering open dialogue within the team. This dimension highlights the ability to encourage contributions, promote transparency, build consensus, and ensure that relevant details are conveyed clearly to all team members. It prioritizes effective message delivery, ensuring that ideas, instructions, and feedback are openly exchanged to strengthen teamwork.
- Encourages open communication
- Encourages others to share ideas to develop team cohesion
- Communicates a clear message that teamwork and collaboration are expected.
- Seeks and listens to other's contributions
- Willingly share their technical expertise
- Communicates well with team members.
- Supports open communication between team members.
- Shares relevant information, ideas, opinions, and feelings with other district team members.
- Solicits and implements ideas from all appropriate team members and uses these ideas to help accomplish market goals.
- Promotes open communication on the team.
- Shares pertinent information with all members of the team.
- Discusses with team about issues and the effects of those issues.
- Builds consensus and shares relevant information.
- Actively and openly and effectively participates in group meetings as a team member and listens to others' contributions.
ListeningListening is about receiving, understanding, and accurately interpreting the messages of others. It includes giving full attention, asking teammates to share their perspectives, paraphrasing to confirm understanding, avoiding interruptions, and creating space for quieter voices to be heard. This dimension is inward-focused: it reflects how a team member absorbs information, shows respect for others' viewpoints, and fosters an environment where everyone feels heard. Listening is about comprehension--taking the time to understand teammates' ideas, concerns, and insights so collaboration is grounded in mutual understanding.
- Listens and is attentive to other team members.
- Listens to other team members without interrupting them.
- Takes the time to actively listen to other team member's perspectives.
- Focuses on understanding the other team member's message.
- Asks other team members to share their opinions.
- Willing to listen to the ideas of other team members.
- Encourages dialog between team members.
- Takes the time to listen to the team's ideas.
- Is able to accurately paraphrase and summarize what other team members have said.
- Listens carefully to other team members.
- Fosters an environment that promotes active listening on the team.
- Makes eye contact when listening to colleagues.
- Listens to the opinions of other team members.
InterpersonalInterpersonal focuses on building strong relationships, fostering rapport, and promoting respectful, tactful interactions within the team. This dimension highlights empathy, appreciation for others, understanding different perspectives, and treating all team members with fairness and respect. It prioritizes relationship-building and emotional intelligence, ensuring a collaborative and supportive team environment.
- Establishes good rapport with team members.
- Builds a strong rapport with team members.
- Builds strong relationships with team members.
- Treats other team members with respect.
- Demonstrates compassion and respect for others through actions; is concerned about their work and non-work issues
- Relates to all kinds of people tactfully
- Able to work closely other team members who are considered to be difficult to work with.
- Demonstrates an understanding of other team member's viewpoints.
- Shows respect for other team members.
- Demonstrates a willingness to work with the team.
- Appreciates the input from other team members.
- Facilitates good rapport between team members.
- Expresses appreciation for the work of other team members.
- Gives constructive advice to other team members.
- Relates to all kinds of people tactfully, from shop floor to executives
CollaborationCollaboration focuses on actively working together to achieve shared goals and solve problems. This dimension highlights knowledge-sharing, cooperative problem-solving, open participation, and fostering interdepartmental collaboration. It ensures that individuals work collectively in an environment where ideas, resources, and expertise are exchanged fluidly.
- Creates a culture that fosters and values collaboration.
- Works cooperatively with others to solve problems.
- Applies knowledge of team behavior to help achieve organizational goals and objectives.
- Encourages collaboration with other departments.
- Shares resources and information with the team.
- Encourages collaboration of fellow employees.
- Works well with other team members.
- Works with other team members on the project.
- Helps other team members to research solutions to a problem.
- Works with other team members to achieve objectives.
- Joins with other team members to brainstorm solutions to the problem.
- Works with other team members to identify bottle necks in the production process.
- Works to get buy-in of individuals based on common good of business.
- Promotes open participation and communication within department and throughout the organization.
- Encourages, promotes and rewards collaboration for improved performance
CommitmentCommitment is about the manager's internal drive, dedication, and sustained investment in the team's success. It reflects a deep willingness to prioritize team needs, persist through challenges, mobilize others around shared goals, and reinforce the team's mission even during uncertainty or stress. This dimension is motivational and purpose-driven: the manager demonstrates unwavering focus on team objectives, inspires others to invest their abilities, and builds ownership and loyalty to the team's priorities. At its core, Commitment is about showing steadfast dedication--doing whatever it takes to help the team achieve its goals and strengthening the collective resolve to succeed.
- Encourages commitment to the team by staying resilient, steady and focused during periods of uncertainty or stress.
- Committed to the team's success.
- Mobilizes commitment to the team's core values.
- Is a role model of commitment to advancing the team's mission.
- Consistently prioritizes team needs over personal convenience.
- Builds support for member commitments to the success of the team.
- Is highly committed to achieving team goals and objectives.
- Fosters ownership of team objectives to build commitment for the team's success.
- Willing to do what it takes to help the team reach its goals.
- Is committed to the success of the team.
- Inspires team members to invest their abilities in advancing team priorities.
- Demonstrates unwavering persistence during challenging projects.
- Committed to the successful completion of team goals.
- Strives to increase commitment from members for the team's initiatives.
Teamwork and Team BuildingTeamwork and Team Building emphasizes strengthening relationships, fostering a supportive team environment, and promoting cohesion beyond task completion. This dimension centers on cultivating strong interpersonal connections, creating a team spirit, facilitating team-building activities, and ensuring a productive group dynamic. It prioritizes long-term unity and engagement, helping individuals feel connected and motivated.
- Encourages teamwork and collaboration.
- Builds relationships across boundaries and with key stakeholders by developing informal and formal networks.
- Provides assistance and support to other team members when needed
- Fosters teamwork rather than individual competition
- Emphasizes the importance of getting individuals to work as a team
- Regularly attends team meetings.
- Promotes a team spirit within and outside department; partners with other groups.
- Creates a climate that encourages team participation.
- Partners with people from other work units to improve overall performance
- Provides coaching and team-building opportunities for area core team and Divisional team
- Provides coaching and team-building ideas/opportunities for district core team and branch managers
- Facilitates team-building within the leadership team
- Translate team-building theories into usable tools and techniques appropriate for team members' needs
- Facilitates conflict resolution discussions between individuals in different teams
- Provides coaching and team-building ideas/opportunities for market core team and district managers
Handling ConflictsHandling Conflicts is about addressing interpersonal tension, misunderstandings, and disagreements within the team in a timely, fair, and constructive way. It focuses on surfacing issues early, facilitating dialogue between team members, preventing minor problems from escalating, and guiding people toward mutually acceptable solutions. This dimension is relational and corrective: it emphasizes reducing friction, aligning team members around shared goals, and strengthening working relationships by resolving disputes equitably and transparently. At its core, Handling Conflicts ensures that interpersonal challenges do not derail team cohesion, productivity, or morale.
- Resolves issues between team members.
- Prevents minor team issues from escalating into major problems.
- Settles conflicts between team members to the satisfaction of both parties.
- Able to settle disputes among team members equitably.
- Encourages reflection and self-awareness among team members to reduce biases contributing to conflict.
- Facilitates dialog between team members who have issues.
- Addresses contentious issues in the team sooner rather than later.
- Addresses issues in team personnel before they become major obstacles.
- Works to reduce misunderstandings and poor communication on the team.
- Clarifies expectations of each team member to prevent conflicts.
- Initiates collaborative processes to reduce team conflicts.
- Aligns team members toward common goals to prevent conflicting agendas.
Decision MakingDecision Making focuses on guiding teams through structured problem-solving and informed choices. This dimension highlights analyzing information, facilitating discussions, balancing different viewpoints, and ensuring that decisions align with long-term team goals. It prioritizes deliberate action and sound judgment, helping teams make effective choices even in uncertain situations.
- Helps the team decide what long term goals need to be met.
- Helps the team make good decisions even under conditions of uncertainty.
- Helps the team balance analysis with decisiveness in making decisions.
- Facilitates team discussions and problem-solving
- Facilitates effective decision-making practices to further develop the team.
- Helps the team make effective business decisions by ensuring the correctness of Company's reports/resources.
- Makes decisions that support the team's goals and objectives.
- Considers the impact and implications of decisions on the team.
- Helps the team exercise good judgment by making sound and informed decisions.
- Contributes to and supports team decision-making process
- Makes decisions that positively impact team performance.
- Facilitates the development of team/unit work standards
FlexibilityFlexibility emphasizes adjusting to new ideas, processes, and team dynamics in response to evolving circumstances. This dimension centers on openness to change, embracing new approaches, bouncing back from setbacks, and adapting to different working styles. It prioritizes agility and adaptability, ensuring the team remains cohesive and responsive to shifting conditions.
- Is open to new ideas that may change own goals for benefit of the team
- Encourages other team members to adopt new procedures.
- Facilitates effective teamwork during periods of change.
- Helps the team bounce back from obstacles to progress.
- Helps the team to bounce back from obstacles.
- Adjusts to changes in the composition of the team.
- Helps identify new opportunities for the team to explore.
- Is open to alternative ways to accomplish goals suggested by the team.
- Open to the perspectives/viewpoints of other team members.
- Able to adjust to new ways of working on the team.
- Can handle changes made by the team without complaining.
Role ModelRole Model emphasizes demonstrating exemplary team behavior and inspiring others through actions. This dimension centers on active participation, commitment to team goals, problem-solving, and leading by example. It prioritizes influence and leadership, encouraging others to follow a strong standard of teamwork.
- Actively participates as a team member
- Actively participates in the work of teams; seeks and listens to others' contributions
- Comes across as a reliable, committed team member
- Models excellent team behavior; recognizes "out-of-bounds" behavior and addresses as appropriate.
- Effective team player
- Actively and openly participates in team meetings.
- Works effectively with all departments, district and area staff, and R&D
- Acts as an effective team player
- Uses a system to document team members' motivators and uses this tool to inspire team to produce great results
- Helps other managers in need of assistance, such as providing needed resources (co-workers, supplies, etc.)
Rewards and RecognitionRewards and Recognition focuses on acknowledging and celebrating the achievements and contributions of team members. This dimension highlights formal and informal recognition, creating reward programs, and ensuring employees feel valued for their efforts. It prioritizes motivation and appreciation, encouraging individuals to perform at their best by reinforcing positive contributions.
- Recognizes and respects the contributions and needs of each individual.
- Finds opportunities to recognize and reward team members.
- Publicly highlights examples of effective collaboration, reinforcing how teamwork contributes to the group's success.
- Creates and implements team reward and recognition programs
- Recognizes the contributions of the team.
- Celebrates cross-functional cooperation, recognizing when team members partner effectively with other departments.
- Recognizes contributions of others, and celebrates team accomplishments.
- Uses recognition moments to reinforce the importance of collective effort.
- Regularly acknowledges team members who support others behind the scenes.
- Lets team members know when they have done well.
- Creates rituals or routines that spotlight team contributions.
RolesRoles is about establishing clear responsibilities, decision-making authority, and boundaries so the team can function smoothly and efficiently. It focuses on assigning responsibilities that match team members' strengths, clarifying who owns which tasks, defining when individuals can act independently, and preventing overlap or confusion that can lead to inefficiency or turf battles. This dimension is structural and preventative: it creates the clarity that allows team members to coordinate effectively, reduces ambiguity that often triggers conflict, and ensures everyone understands how their contributions support team goals. At its core, Roles strengthens teamwork by giving the group a stable, well-defined operating framework.
- Establishes roles for team members to prevent overlap and unintentional turf battles.
- Clarifies team member roles to eliminate ambiguity.
- Clarifies decision-making authority within each role, so team members know when they can act independently and when to escalate issues.
- Ensures role assignments reflect each team member's strengths and capabilities.
- Establishes team member roles and responsibilities.
- Ensures everyone on the team knows who is responsible for what, who makes which decisions, and where to go for information or support.
- Facilitates discussions when role boundaries blur, helping the team renegotiate responsibilities before confusion or conflict develops.
- Assigns roles to team members to help focus their energy on needed contributions.
- Communicates how each role contributes to the team's overall goals, helping members understand the purpose and impact of each member's responsibilities.
- Regularly revisits and updates team roles as project needs evolve, ensuring responsibilities stay aligned with current priorities.
Coaching and SupervisionCoaching and Supervision emphasizes guiding team members toward achieving goals, resolving conflicts, and ensuring the team is structured effectively. This dimension centers on mentoring, providing constructive feedback, facilitating learning opportunities, and addressing obstacles to enhance overall team performance. It prioritizes leadership and structured guidance, helping the team work efficiently while promoting organizational growth.
- Coaches team members to work toward a common goal.
- Coaches team on how to solve problems, plan, and meet organizational goals and objectives.
- Identifies and resolves conflicts within the team to increase team effectiveness
- Creates opportunities to learn with other team members
- Ensures that the right people are on the team in the appropriate roles, including who should be team leader for a particular project/situation.
- Provides direct feedback to team members on behavior that is negatively impacting the team's effectiveness
- Coaches team members
- Performs co-worker assessments with equal amounts of constructive and positive documented feedback
- Promotes organizational growth by stressing personal and team responsibility for learning and performance
FairFair emphasizes equitable participation, shared workload, and inclusive decision-making within the team. This dimension centers on ensuring that responsibilities are distributed fairly, that diverse perspectives are considered, and that credit is shared among all contributors. It prioritizes equity and mutual respect, fostering an environment where everyone feels included and valued.
- Carries his/her share of the workload
- Shares credit for accomplishments with team members
- Applies team rules and expectations consistently, regardless of seniority, personality, or personal preference.
- Makes sure each team member participates in the task.
- Invites input from all voices, making sure decisions reflect the full team rather than only the most vocal contributors.
- Evaluates team contributions based on objective criteria, ensuring recognition and opportunities are grounded in actual performance.
- Ensures all team members have equal access to information.
- Distributes high-visibility and routine tasks equitably, ensuring no team member is consistently overloaded or overlooked.
- Fosters respect and understanding among team members
- Creates teams that have diverse membership (e.g., gender, race, location, business, function etc.) to ensure multiple viewpoints are considered.