A startup is much more than a business venture in its initial days.

It perhaps is a coming together of different ideas that combine the creativity, skills, and spirit of the founders for the creation of that single big idea that drives the enterprise. Startups are marked by a great deal of enthusiasm and chaos as a group of people, often from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and with different skills, try to come together for a single purpose.

When there is so much happening, everyone needs to trust each other and work together with a sole focus. It can only occur with teamwork and in its absence; even the biggest of ideas is likely to fail. Even with the most robust of business models, endless computer simulation of marketing scenarios, sufficient financial resources, and a brilliant set of people at the helm, many startups that are destined for great success never quite seem to get going and collapse.

Typically, the reason is poor teamwork. According to https://www.forbes.com, the startup founder can get together a great team that is crucial to the success of the startup. A quick look at the top reasons why there is a need for teamwork for startups to succeed:

Workflow Organization 

In the early days of the startup, since multiple tasks at the same time, it often leads to overlap between team members confusing. For a startup to work efficiently with its limited resources, it is critical that everybody involved is on the same page and the responsibilities are allocated in such a way that there are no overlaps that can confuse.

Despite the pressure of work, it is vital that a senior member takes charge and ensures that there is efficient and clear communication within the team and a proper workflow that will prevent conflicting agendas from wasting time and resources.

A brief meeting, the first thing in the morning is good enough for the laying down of the priorities, taking stock of the situation, and discussing the collective and individual goals for the day. This habit not only ensures that the team members are kept abreast of the developments as they happen but also makes the delegation of tasks much more comfortable. The collaborative nature of the exercise ensures stronger motivation and team spirit.

Builds Trust

Even though the number of people involved in a startup is generally small, very often they come from a separate cultural and educational background and have different skill sets to boot. It is quite natural for them to have their work styles and work philosophies, which can make the task of uniting them to achieve a common goal a tough prospect.

Coordination between this diverse set of people can be quite problematic since both expectations and responsibilities are different for everyone. The only way it can be handled and tackled is by consciously building teamwork so that the group develops bonds with each other and achieves a sense of comfort working with each other.

When the individual members work on a common platform towards a shared goal, it tends to build trust, which is critical for the startup to make headway in a competitive environment, observes a senior consultant at Liberty Lending, a leading online lender that serves both small businesses and individuals.

Increased Learning Opportunities 

When people with different educational backgrounds and skills work together in a team, things get done much more efficiently because all the individuals can learn from each other. If a particular team member is stuck on any aspect of the project, all he needs to do is to shout out, and help will be immediately forthcoming.

Also, each team member finds it more comfortable to challenge an idea and suggest solutions that can get the job done efficiently. When this repeatedly happens, as it invariably will in a supportive freethinking environment, all the members get the advantage of learning from each other and grow their expertise. Individuals working in a team tend to grow much faster than someone who’s working alone in a project and has to manage his learning curve.

Better Performance under Pressure and Risk

The startup environment is exceptionally fierce, and it can be a tough task to maintain your competitive edge. For the entrepreneur and the core team, the risks are invariably huge, and everyone needs to perform at their best, even under severe pressure to ensure survival. With a large number of challenges to be overcome every day, only extremely resilient people can handle the pressure and come out victorious.

The trouble is best handled by people working in a team rather than solo. Every team member knows that he is not fighting a lone battle and can rely on the others for dealing with the circumstances. With good teamwork in place, the members can complement each other’s strengths in times of need to come out victorious.

Assured Continuity of Work

In their early stages, most startups have a small team. These people, while being specialists in their domains, need to be aware of what everyone else is doing. They should be ready to step in at short notice to cover for someone’s absence due to an emergency. In management parlance, this situation is explained by what is known as the “bus factor.”

The term stands for the number of people who hypothetically can fall under a bus before the project comes to a halt. When a team coordinates well, and the members are updated on the status of all critical functions, the bus factor is enormous, and the project does not get affected by a few people quitting or becoming unavailable for any reason. When the team has shared ambitions and a strong focus on the outcome, all members pitch in to do their best and cover for the shortcoming or absence of a few members.

Conclusion 

For a startup to succeed, you need a big idea that serves a market gap well but also a motivated team that focuses on the task of achieving the startup goals and objectives. When the team members are competent and trust each other, the chances of the startup surviving the initial severe period increases and paves the way for a secure future.

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