Sustainable Development of Teamwork at the Organizational Level—Case Study of Slovakia

Abstract

This research focused on the organizational level of teamwork in companies in the Slovak Republic. The study helped to reveal the possibilities of sustainable management of team cooperation. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews, the study examined four key areas: (1) team system and work positions in the team, (2) division of tasks in the team and tasks management, (3) team communication (external, internal), and (4) team training activities. The findings reveal a widespread use of teamwork, with a significant proportion of tasks performed by teams and many organizations exhibiting high reliance on teamwork. However, the study also highlights a dominance of traditional management practices, where team formation is primarily driven by capacity constraints, with limited support for organic team emergence. Moreover, management often retains significant control over team decision-making. The research further indicates that many employees lack adequate training in teamwork skills and principles. While teamwork is prevalent, reliance on traditional communication methods, such as face-to-face meetings and phone calls, persists, despite the potential of ICT tools to enhance collaboration. Furthermore, the effective use of ICT tools is hindered by challenges such as incompatibility between different systems and limited data accessibility. These findings underscore the need for organizations to embrace more agile and flexible team structures, invest in comprehensive teamwork training for all employees, leverage ICT tools effectively to improve communication and collaboration, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and feedback within teams. By addressing these areas, organizations can enhance teamwork effectiveness, improve employee engagement, and ultimately achieve better organizational outcomes so that they can implement sustainable approaches for organizing team collaboration.