The poet John Donne—a contemporary of Shakespeare’s—wrote that “no man is an island.” While Donne fans are likely few and far between in the construction industry, most construction workers will agree with Donne’s sentiment: every man is a part of and contributes to the whole; no man stands alone. This is true on a construction crew—every person has their job to do, but they all work together towards a common goal. The Tucker Paving team knows that the idea of teamwork—working together towards a common goal—is a powerful one. It’s so powerful that you should be working towards optimal team cohesion as much as possible because the benefits are amazing.
Benefits of Teamwork
There are many benefits of true teamwork, both for a company and for its employees. They include:
- An increase in synergy. Synergy sounds like a trite corporate buzzword, but it means when a group’s combined effort adds up to something greater than the sum of each individual’s separate contributions. In paving, it might look like how each employee alone can pave 20 feet in one go, but a team of five who have synergy can pave 120 feet together in the same amount of time.
- An increase in safety. True teamwork is the goal of every sports team and military group, and should be for any construction crew. With teamwork, the individuals start to work together as a cohesive group that better resembles a family than a group of strangers who work together for eight hours or more every day. One of the many benefits of this family dynamic is that employees are more likely to look out for one another in terms of safety, and they are much less likely to do something risky or careless that could end up hurting a member of their crew.
- Creates open dialogue. When a crew works as a team, and each member’s contributions are seen as important and valuable, it allows for open dialogue that would not be possible otherwise. Worker #1 may notice some issue or change in technique that could help worker #2, but might not feel comfortable bringing it up due to lack of experience or expertise. However, when part of a team, worker #1 will have no problem bringing it up to the team and will listen and learn to the team’s explanation of why it’s a good idea or not.
- An increase in skill and expertise. Members of a team are much more likely to share their ideas, input, and expertise with other members of a team. This benefits workers and employers.
On a Tucker Paving team, safety is first and foremost the biggest priority, and teamwork is second! In our almost 30 years in the asphalt and concrete paving industry, the Tucker Paving team has the power of teamwork. We can put it to work for you with your next concrete or asphalt paving project by calling us at (863) 299-2262, or filling out our contact form online.