There are four types of team player: The Contributor, The Collaborator, The Communicator and The Challenger. Which type of team player best matches your own teamwork skills?
There is more than one way to be a great team player. In fact, there are four, according to teamwork expert Glenn M parker! And you’re not just one type of team player, either. You can have different teamwork styles in different situations – but you are likely to feel most comfortable in one type of team player role.
Once you know where you feel comfortable in teams, you can use that to work to your teamwork strengths and explore areas to improve! It’s all part of building your teamwork skills…
4 types of team player to explore:
The Contributor
Contributors like to focus on tasks. They are really keen to do any task handed to them, and do it well. Contributors tend to be well-organised, responsible enought to get on with things without a manager watching over them. They often like to focus on the little details.
Contributors are great team players because they can share all the skills and knowledge they pick up on the way in their mission to get things done.
The Collaborator
If you’re a collaborator, you’re a people-person. You like to chat with others about tasks and feel like a whole team is being involved, rather than taking your task and quietly getting on with it. Collaborators often get excited by the goal, the vision, and the team mission. They can be imaginative and open to new ideas. They often love working with others with lots of variety in what they do!
The Communicator
You’ve got the big vision. You know what tasks need to be done. So who’s going to make sure everything’s been done in the right order, with the team communicating with each other so everyone know’s what’s going on, who’s doing what, and why? This type of attitude to an activity is called ‘process’. Communicators use their great listening and communicating skills to make sure the process of team tasks is all joined-up. Communicators can help resolve team personality clashes. They’re often seen to have a positive attitude, and often come across as supportive, diplomatic and kind.
The Challenger
Are you willing to challenge the status quo if you think there might be a better way of doing things? Challengers look at the bigger picture, not just the goal or task that’s been given to them. They will often ask lots of questions that are sometimes important to ask. What’s the goal of a task? Why is it being done one way, not another way which might be more effective? A challenger is not challenging the status quo just to act out or feel important. They challenge with love and respect. A challenger can help the team take risks (with backup logic behind the risk) to try better approaches or aim for more valuable goals. They are often honest, willing to explore new territory, and principled.
What type of team player are you?
Do you see yourself as a Challenger? Be known as someone who cares enough to ask questions, not someone who stirs up trouble for the drama.
Perhaps you can picture yourself as a Communicator? You can chat about ideas all day, but aim for chats that result in positive practical actions, not just daydreams. Be sure to listen to others as well as share your ideas!
Remember you can be more than one type of team player in different situations. Sometimes you will notice a team is missing fresh ideas, or someone to take control of deadlines, and you can step in to help.
Also remember that you can be useful in all kinds of ways, whatever your personality or work style. If a team has a strong encouraging leader but no-one takes notes, the team could push forward but result in chaos instead of a team task being carried out on time and leading to good results!
If we have a strong leader, encouraging the team and a good public speaker but no one organising or taking notes team members can push forward and duplicate work or not stay on track to achieve the team task but instead push forward their skills.
About working in a team
Any time we work with other people to help achieve a goal we are working in a team. Family, friendship groups, study groups, teams at work, societies, clubs or volunteering groups are all examples of teams!
Sometimes working in a team might mean working alone on a group project – or we might be working face to face with people all the time. You can get different types of team players, from the organiser to the shy one. Yes, you can be shy and still be a great team player!
