Since time immemorial, humanity has organised itself in to teams and followed unspoken and written collective rules to obtain the maximum results from work. The emergence of capitalist relations in society and the consolidation of means of production became a catalyst for the widespread establishment of a regulatory framework for employees in order to realise maximum profits.
The concept of “teamwork” and “team” has several meanings. Speaking in the generally accepted sense, the term “team” is more often used as a synonym for “group”, but in certain combinations; a sports team, a team of like-minded people, etc., it can be assumed that the word “team” replaces “group” if it is necessary to emphasise the greater interconnectedness of its members, i.e. the interdependence of people.
In social psychology, the question of defining the concept of “team” is very controversial. Many experts believe a “team” is more than just a “group”. Every team is a “group”, but not every group is a “team”.
The collective nature of any work leads to the need to take in to account the influence of groups; their formal and informal relations to the behaviour of individuals.
The ability to communicate with a collective (team) not only has a positive effect on the entire work of the organisation, but also brings moral satisfaction to the employees of the enterprise, which is an important factor in interaction. Teamwork is almost always perceived as something extremely positive, since, by working together, it is possible to achieve the highest results and implement those projects and complete those tasks that would be too voluminous and impossible for one person due to various circumstances. The results of teamwork are furthermore achieved only when the efforts of all members are directed in the same direction, while responsibility for all the results of interaction also lies with a group of people and not just one person.
To improve teamwork, enterprises maintain a very important internal document; “Standard Operating Procedures” (SOP). This is a document adopted by a company that explains all the details of business activities. SOP is a very convenient tool, helping to work out all the nuances of each employee’s work; it outlines their role, responsibilities and rules of collaboration in the team. Moreover, SOP is a “welcome book” which helps a new employee quickly adapt to a new place and join the team. For an HR manager, onboarding a newcomer is a reusable standard process. To simplify it, simply give the newly arrived specialist the introductory materials.
The SOP makes the work process and its results consistent, predictable and repeatable.
The advantages achieved by using SOP are undoubted, it ensuring:
- Quality and logical sequence of actions;
- Safety of the working environment and minimal risk of complications;
- Constant growth in the professional competence of employees;
- Adaptation of employees in the workplace and continuity of the production process;
- Conditions for conducting expert assessment of the quality of all types of activity;
- Legal protection of low and mid-level personnel.
SOP must follow the labour laws of the country of registration of the enterprise. A clear SOP framework regulates the main points of behaviour in the enterprise team; this applies to the beginning and end of the working day, dress code, plus the organisation of leisure time and activities. Violation of these simple SOP rules by an employee usually results in an official reprimand, and in the event of a repeat occurrence, dismissal on the basis of unsuitability.
It is very important to understand that different organisations’ SOPs may impose different responsibilities on employees. An excellent example is the case of civilian personnel working in military installations or personnel in medical facilities. Here, strict adherence to SOPs by personnel is vital. As for commercial enterprises, it is obvious that obligations imposed by the SOP will be much milder, but the employee must nevertheless always keep in mind that gross violation of procedures often leads to penalties, perhaps bearing even administrative and criminal liability. The procedures described in the SOP cannot be treated negligently by managers and personnel.
