A starting point in developing teamwork is to specify the team’s mission. The mission statement for the group helps answer the questions, “Why are we doing this?” and “What are we trying to accomplish?” Any goal contained within the mission statement should be congruent with organizational objectives. The leader can specify the mission when the team is formed or at any other time. Being committed to a mission improves teamwork, as does the process of formulating a mission.

Trust is at the heart of collaboration. Unless team members trust each other, they will not be dependent on each other and therefore will not work well as a team. A major strategy of teamwork development is to promote the attitude among group members that working together effectively is expected. Most profit as well as not-for-profit organizations emphasize that teamwork is important.

A norm of teamwork is based on cooperation theory, a belief in cooperation and collaboration rather than competitiveness as a strategy for building teamwork. Team members are coached to understand that the motivation to help each other should be as strong as the motivation to attain individual and group goals. The leader’s role in developing teamwork can also be described as helping the group develop emotional intelligence. The leader contributes to the group’s emotional intelligence by creating norms that establish trust among members.

A standard way to build team spirit is to help the group realize why it should be proud of its accomplishments. The leader should help the group identify tasks that they excel at and promote them as key strengths. Teamwork is enhanced when a leader practices consensus decision making. Contributing to important decisions helps group members feel that they are valuable to the team.

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