Teamwork vs. collaboration: key differences and when to choose which

“Teamwork”, “collaboration”, “synergy,” “team effort”... All of these phrases have been thrown around so many times that they’ve become mere buzzwords. This is a slippery slope, because knowing what actual teamwork and collaboration look like matters.

According to statistics, 75% of employers think teamwork and collaboration are very important. However, only 18% of employees report that communication is valued during their performance review.

In order to fix that, we need to go back to the basics and rediscover the true meaning of these terms.

In this blog post, we will explain what both teamwork and collaboration mean, their main principles, differences, and applications, as well as when you should use each, so keep on reading to find out more.

Understanding the difference between teamwork and collaboration

Although both “teamwork” and “collaboration” are terms that are often used interchangeably in the modern workplace, they are not the same.

While there is a significant degree of overlap between these two concepts, since they both involve people working together, there are also big differences. We are going to look into both, so keep on reading.

What is teamwork?

Teamwork involves people working together, usually within a defined group, in order to reach a shared goal or objective. Team members have clearly defined and often similar roles, and tasks are tailored to each person’s individual strengths.

Team members are expected to do their part, there is a clear division of labor, and it’s all about efficiency. Even though teamwork is less about discussion and more about coordination, it still depends on strong team cohesion and trust.

Think of teamwork as a relay race, where every team member runs their leg of the race before handing off the baton to someone else.

What is collaboration?

Collaboration is a process where people work together to create or solve something that doesn’t have a clear answer or goal.

The goal is to get people with different perspectives, experience, and skills to pool their knowledge, brainstorm, exchange ideas, and innovate as a group. It’s less about efficiency and more about problem-solving and synergy.

Imagine a band where each band member comes with a different set of skills, but they all work together on something that they wouldn’t have been able to do individually, such as making an album.

Key differences

If we had to explain it in one sentence, it would be this: Teamwork splits the work, collaboration shares the thinking.

However, there is more to it than that. For starters, here is a quick overview of key differences between teamwork and collaboration in the table below:

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these differences between the two related concepts:

Structure and roles: Teamwork has its roles clearly defined, with everyone doing their individual tasks. Collaboration has more flexible roles, which can be adjusted based on input and needs.

Skills: Teamwork usually features team members with similar skill sets, whereas collaboration prioritizes diverse skill sets and knowledge sharing among roles.

Communication style: Teamwork is built around structured, top-down communication. Collaboration involves interactive discussion, open dialogue, and feedback.

Interdependence: In teamwork, each member works independently. In collaboration, there is overlap, so more people are working together on the same task.

Leadership: Teamwork requires a clear leader. On the other hand, collaboration revolves around shared or revolving leadership.

Goal orientation: In teamwork, everyone works together to reach a predetermined goal. In collaboration, goals are created through exploration, innovation, and joint effort.

Next up, we are taking a look at when you are better off facilitating one or the other for best results.

When to choose teamwork

Not sure when to rely on teamwork as opposed to collaboration? Here are some of the most common situations where teamwork should have the upper hand:

Hitting goals and targets

When you are in a situation where you need to hit a specific target, for example, increasing organic traffic by 15%, you should opt for teamwork over collaboration.

And here is why:

Faster progress: When everyone knows their role and what they should be doing, there is no overlap. There is just uninterrupted focus on the end goal.

Less back-and-forth: Clear roles also mean a clear division of tasks, which means there are fewer meetings and discussions needed.

Efficient processes: Workflows and processes utilize things like deadlines, SOPs, and checklists in order to move things forward.

Tracking: Where there are specific goals and targets in place, it’s possible to track and measure, as well as the individual input of every team member.

In short, if you are dealing with tasks or projects that are time-sensitive and there is a clear target, teamwork is the way to go.

Leadership

There are plenty of situations where you want a clear leader to steer the ship, and that’s what you get with teamwork.

For example, you may be running an agency that is about to lose a big client due to missed deadlines, so you need a leader to step in and manage the crisis through communication, coordination, and task prioritization.

Or you have a tight deadline that doesn’t leave much for deliberations and brainstorming, so you need someone to call the shots and make sure that the execution stays on track.

In addition to that, here is what centralized leadership also brings to the table:

Whether it’s crisis management, new feature rollout, or onboarding a new client, teamwork (and leadership) should be your weapon of choice.

Project execution

When it comes to executing a project successfully, teamwork should be the driving force behind it. Why? Because it provides the necessary structure and agency for getting things done on time.

Teamwork is also better for project execution due to the following reasons:

• Deadlines: Every team member knows what they need to deliver and when.
• Reduced bottlenecks: Teamwork requires clear workflows and the aforementioned deadlines so there are no delays.

And when it comes to project execution and teamwork, ActiveCollab is second to none.

With project management and team collaboration features, such as live chat, mentions, and discussions, as well as functionalities for time tracking, and workload management, ActiveCollab can help you facilitate smooth project execution from start to finish.

You can organize teams, distribute tasks, and use the reporting feature to zero in on areas that need improvement, as well as to identify blockers and bottlenecks.

Training and development

When it comes to things like training, onboarding new team members, or developing your existing talent, teamwork works better because it provides the necessary support.

It might be overwhelming to collaborate with several people and brainstorm at once, especially when learning, but teamwork, with its defined goals and tasks, keeps things grounded with clear outcomes.

Last but not least, when there are clear roles, new team members know exactly which person to ask about which issue and subject matter.

Teamwork also allows for a natural mentorship dynamic to develop between newcomers and their experienced colleagues.

When to choose collaboration

If you are facing one of the following situations, you should choose collaboration over teamwork:

Problem-solving

If you facing a complex problem, collaboration beats teamwork 9 times out of 10. Whereas teamwork is about following a predetermined plan, collaboration is actually about creating one.

This means you need people with different perspectives who are going to look at the problem from different perspectives and give their own unique input. It’s not about distributing tasks, but about combining insights.

For example, if your agency is dealing with a dip in market share, less traffic, or a client conflict, getting your team on board, bouncing ideas around, asking the tough questions, and coming up with creative solutions is a must.

Complex problems benefit from collaboration, especially when they can’t be solved in isolation. And nowadays, complex problems that can be solved by one team member are few and far between.

Cross-functional projects

Cross-functional teams thrive when collaboration is put front and center, but it’s equally effective for any kind of cross-functional project.

Let’s say, for example, that you are trying to create a new product or service. You will need to gather people from different departments, including design, software development, sales, content, as well as SEO.

Everyone brings their unique skills, and there is a creative back-and-forth going on. And when inputs from all these different people with diverse backgrounds and skills happen to overlap, that is where the magic happens.

With teamwork, everyone would just stay in their lane, but collaboration makes it possible to come up with something new or complex through a shared collaborative effort.

Brainstorming and innovation

Collaboration is the engine that drives innovation, and here is why:

• Ideas upon ideas: One team member will have an idea, another will build on it, and the third one will shape it into an actual solution.
• Creative tension: Not tension in terms of conflict, but creative people challenging each other’s takes on the matter in order to come up with something better.
• Collaborative efforts build momentum: There is a level of excitement and energy that takes place when people are in the same room sharing their best ideas, almost like an X factor.

To support the collaborative process, brainstorming, and innovation, you can use ActiveCollab. It provides you with features for both synchronous and asynchronous communication.

This includes the built-in live chat, as well as discussions, mentions, comments, shared documents, and notes, all of which help your team members get their ideas across and contribute to the creative process.

Group discussions and consensus

Getting an entire team or different departments to communicate and to go along with a particular idea, strategy, or solution can be a challenge.

Fortunately, it can be tackled through collaboration. Here is why:

Better understanding: It’s about getting everyone to align their thoughts and understand each other’s perspectives.

No individual agendas: Because there is open input and everyone can contribute, there are no individual agendas that can be pushed. The eventual output is the result of shared values and shared effort.

Flexibility: When people actually get to shape the outcome instead of choosing among the predetermined ones, team members are more willing to take part and follow through.

No top-down authority: Consensus is not forced upon the team by executives or managers. Instead, it comes from everyone taking part in the collaborative process.

Teamwork vs. collaboration example

Now, if all this talk about teamwork vs. collaboration still feels a bit abstract, let’s check out a few examples of how each of the two might look in real life.

Teamwork example

Let’s imagine a digital marketing agency that is getting ready to launch a new product in 30 days.

All the roles and tasks are clearly split, with copywriters handling landing pages, designers creating cover images, media buyers setting up campaigns, and project managers making sure that everything is running smoothly.

Since the deadline is tight, there is very little time for brainstorming, so priority is given to results and structured teamwork.

Collaboration example

We have an IT team whose eCommerce client experienced a website that kept crashing during the holiday season.

Instead of distributing tasks, people from different departments, including developers, QAs, UX designers, and system admins in order to analyze the problem from different angles, including traffic, code, and user behaviour.

Everyone gives their own unique insights until a smarter solution is found.

Conclusion – Make teamwork and collaboration thrive with ActiveCollab

Ultimately, you realize that it’s not one or the other, but to encourage both teamwork and collaboration to get things done in your agency or organization.

In fact, those two will often cross paths and take place simultaneously, and it might be hard to separate them. Still, important to know how to recognize each and use them efficiently to reach your goals.

Whichever you decide to lean on, ActiveCollab is there to make it happen. From project and workload management to team collaboration and communication features, it has all the tools you will ever need for stellar teamwork and collaboration.

Sign up for our 14-day free trial, or book a demo, and tap into the full potential of teamwork and collaboration with ActiveCollab!