"There is no "I" in team!" is one of the most common quotations people say whenever the topic of teamwork is brought up. It's a very simple, but a very good way to illustrate that teamwork requires the help and cooperation of many individuals, not just on the steam of one person.

However, even with that reminder, not everyone is aware of what teamwork really entails. Teamwork in the workplace is not something that comes naturally to a lot of people; for the most part, people tend to only think of advancing their careers or keeping an eye on everyone else, making sure that they are not the ones to blame for any mistakes in a project. With people only looking out for their self-interests, it becomes highly unlikely that anyone would even be working as a team for the greater good.

At its very worst, the absence of teamwork in the workplace yields terrible results. Expect a great clash of personalities and open hostility towards one another. When employees can't get along, you can hardly expect them to be able to work well together. As a result, this translate to extremely low productivity for your group, or perhaps even a high turnover rate, especially if such personnel issues aren't properly addressed. Without teamwork, the people in a group also don't have a vision, a goal towards which they work. There would be no incentive for them to work together, and as such, each of them would only be fighting to survive in the job.

You can encourage teamwork in the workplace by figuring out the problems plaguing the group and tackling them head-on. This may be met with some resistance initially because of the previous lack of interest in the problem. If you find that you can handle it on your own, consider teamwork training workshops. These can be tailored according to the needs of your group and would be organized in such a way that clearly addresses the specific problems of your group.