Core Assets of Global Teamwork

Welcome back. Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing the 'Core elements of Global Teamwork'. This is a concept that we have designed to help you describe, understand and improve the local, global, professional and informal teamwork processes that you are involved in.

In our first post, we introduced the 'teamwork compass'. It has been inspired by the 'core aspects of teamwork'. In our second post, we described the 'teamwork map', which explained the 'core modes of teamwork'. In this post, we will focus on the last group of elements, the 'core assets of teamwork' and the 'teamwork pack'.

When you consider the 'core assets of teamwork', compare them to a backpack filled with items that you’d need to explore a challenging landscape. It would probably contain food, cooking implements, sleeping gear, clothes and a type of shelter to protect you from the elements. However, the equipment in your backpack and your ability to use it properly will enable you to proceed and safely enjoy your journey. The same applies when you operate on the 'teamwork landscape'. You need a kind of backpack that contains both types of 'teamwork resources' in order to effectively work with the people in your team.

We distinguish between two types of 'teamwork resources':

Components - These are the practical teamwork tools, systems and structures that are available to all team members at any given moment and location.

Competences - These are the intentional, behavioural, cultural and social teamwork skills that individual team members can employ at any given time and place.

The more developed, mature and reliable these two types of resources are, the more capable your team will be of accomplishing challenging tasks, realising a range of objectives and fulfilling its purpose. The quality of teamwork depends on the availability of both types of resources instead of just one. “Practical components” only add value to the teamwork process when they are used by people with 'personal competences' that complement the tools, systems and structures.

In our next post, we will demonstrate how the core 'aspects, modes and assets of global teamwork' come together to create a single flexible and functional model. We hope that this will help you improve your teamwork, regardless of where you are, when you might need it and who you work with.

Stay tuned.