What does teamwork mean?
Teamwork is the cooperative and coordinated effort made by members of a team who combine their skills, knowledge, and work toward a shared goal. The term is commonly used in sport, education, business, and public services, where effective cooperation is valued. Teamwork generally implies more than people merely working near one another: it suggests communication, mutual responsibility, and coordinated action. Because the noun is normally uncountable, writers describe it as strong, effective, or poor rather than normally using it with articles. Its tone is broadly neutral-to-positive, although it can suggest a preference for cooperation over competition. In less formal writing, teamwork may also evoke the familiar ideal that a group can accomplish more than any member alone. It is consequently a useful term for discussing both concrete performance and the cooperative values that shape successful teams.
nounCooperative and coordinated effort by members of a team to achieve a shared objective.
- Cooperative and coordinated work performed by members of a team toward a common goal.
"The project succeeded because everyone contributed and the team worked with mutual trust."
"Clear communication and good teamwork allowed the volunteers to respond quickly to the emergency."
"The new manager described teamwork as the foundation of the department's success."
Rare; teamwork is normally treated as an uncountable noun.
"The course examined two different forms of teamworks within the same organization."
Many skills, one result: teamwork is the shortest formula for collective effort.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does teamwork come from?
Teamwork is an English compound formed from the words team and work. The noun team comes from Old English tēam, originally associated with a team of draught animals and later with a group acting together, while work comes from Old English weorc. The compound thus combines the idea of a group with the activity performed by that group.
How teamwork is actually used
Teamwork is normally an uncountable noun, so it is not ordinarily used with an article or a plural. It is generally neutral-to-positive and can convey the values of communication, mutual support, and shared responsibility.