Teamwork is the cooperative effort of a large or small group of people working to achieve a common goal. Teams in the workplace are a crucial part of workplace efficiency. Because of this, employers are frequently seeking ways to optimize the quality of team performance. One of the best ways to enhance teamwork is through the use of technology.
The use of technology increases the efficiency of teams. Prior to the development of portable technology, employees were forced to carry around briefcases, notebooks, sticky notes, pens, business cards, hand-written presentations, and a myriad of other materials. These materials, while necessary to optimal office performance, were heavy and space-consuming. All of these materials can now be replaced with one or two devices, allowing employee performance and teamwork to be enhanced significantly. Now, office teams can meet, write up presentations much quicker than with pen and paper, and can sync their appointments, notes, and information from one device to another. With this increased efficiency comes increased work performance.
Another way technology can enhance teamwork is through creating flexible work locations. If one teammate cannot make it to a lunch meeting, no problem! If there is a significant commuting distance between teammates, no problem! With technology, teammates can communicate via email, instant messenger, video messaging, and cell phones. This removes the struggle of coordinating schedules and commuting time, and increases the time available for teammates to get down to work!
Technology has also made detailed archiving possible. Employees and employers alike now have instant access to current and previous projects, information, and work-specific blog posts. This archiving capability means that teammates can access reference materials directly from their computer, rather than lugging around a variety of books or portfolios or being forced to visit a library. Again, this saves time, making for more time to work on team assignments.
Current technology also allows workplace teams to keep a record of communication. Whether through displaying a browser history, opening instant message logs, using screenshot capture software, showing time stamps on email communication, or displaying a list of recent calls and call duration, technology makes it easy to keep a communication record. This takes the guess work out of moderating teams for employers, and makes it easy for employees to monitor their own group participation.
Technology has definitely improved the quality of teams within the workplace, and has made conquering multiple tasks quickly much easier. Technology is responsible for enhancing team efficiency, creating flexible work locations, making detailed archiving possible, and providing a complete record of communication. The quality of teamwork within the workplace is definitely enhanced by the use of technology.