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.

1. Introduction

The teamwork organization system is complex. Managing sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level means strategic management with the aim of improving teamwork within organizations and thus also the cultural component of the organization. In the case of sustainability, it is about identifying a certain system of formal and informal rules that can lead not a one-time success in the framework of corporate goals, but to their repeated acquisition. Team members must share one or more goals, perform social interactions with other team members, maintain and manage established team rules, and perform interdependent tasks. For the concept of sustainable development of teamwork set up in this way, it is necessary to support values that strengthen team culture within the organization. In order to build a culture, it is necessary to involve employees openly, to create a common and accepted vision, and to set up organizational processes so that cooperation is supported.

The research deals with the management of teamwork at the organizational level. The research was conducted in the Slovak Republic. Relatively, many of these firms have a substantial overlap with the European or world market.

The work of smaller teams of employees is often critical to achieving organizational goals. As these are social groups, their performance and effectiveness are influenced by a variety of factors, such as the personality of individual team members, leadership style, and experience [1]; teams are an important part of our everyday life, the statement that the collective is stronger than the individual is proof. This statement is also supported by the facts about the organizational conditions and local environment, which Salas discusses in several of his scientific outputs. Baker et al. [2] states that organizations are increasingly becoming more dynamic and unstable. Also, Minsesen [3,4] focuses on actual changes in the density of communication within teamwork. To manage the sustainable development of teamwork properly and effectively, it is necessary to understand its principles, how it works, and how it can be influenced in social reality. Many organizations currently consider the absence of tools for managing the sustainable development of teamwork as one of the most serious problems, combined with the lack of experience of managers in managing people in teams and the lack of understanding of the team as a social group. The use of project teams to achieve organizational goals is now increasingly preferred and is becoming a necessity for some types of organizations. Balyshev et al. [5] focused on student teamwork as a basis for developing teamwork in online environment. For this reason, the proper and effective management of sustainable development of teamwork is an essential factor in organizational competitiveness. Kerrissey and Novikov [6] state that fluid teamwork environments applying the concept to within-organization work define factors and areas focused on raising teams’ performance.

In this paper, we want to present the results of research in selected research areas of teamwork and propose recommendations in relation to better implementation of the sustainable development of teamwork in organizations. The research was focused on four main areas and was conducted through sociological inquiry with team members, their leaders, managers responsible for coordinating multiple teams, and representatives of the organization’s senior management. At the same time, interviews with team members and managers responsible for coordinating multiple teams in the organization, planning team collaboration, and managing dynamic teams are also necessary for a deeper understanding of the issues. In Appendix A, we mention research questions from which we grouped three main areas of our research result:

• Team system and work positions in the team.
• Division of tasks in the team and tasks management.
• Team communication (external, internal).

Team training activities. The object of research was organizational units of organizations that use the principles of the sustainable development of teamwork. In the research, we focused only on non-production teams. Specifically, these are smaller teams performing intellectual activities, solving unique problems, with higher value-added work, and focused on making critical decisions. Given the subject of the research, it is also represented by the managers of the organizational units responsible for the coordination of the sdifferent teams and their dynamic management. Project teams, their dynamics and position within the organization, together with their managers, formed the primary object of investigation. The basic principles of the teams are very similar regardless of the industry in which the company operates. The research was primarily focused on IT organizations. The selection was made based on three primary factors. The first factor of industry selection was the degree of use of sustainable development of teamwork (For the theoretical context, please see the following section “Theoretical Foundations of Sustainable Development of Teamwork”) and project teams. Project teams in most IT organizations are a key component of internal processes, whereas in other industries their function may be more supportive in relation to production, logistics, or other internal processes. The second factor was the accessibility of the organizations in question. IT organizations in our research areas are better and are more reachable because we cooperate with them in research mainly from the point of view of their geographical locations within our research organization. The third factor is the fact that IT organizations are the market leaders in the implementation of new trends in the field of sustainable development of teamwork management in Slovak conditions. Thanks to this, their teams represent an ideal object of research, and the information obtained can serve as an example for organizations from other sectors. For this reason, teams from other industries were also examined secondarily, but met the other requirements of the object of study. Important aspects that have a significant impact on the management of sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level are the market in which the organization operates, its size, and its position within the corporate structure. Primarily smaller companies operating on the Slovak market were selected.

Theoretical Foundations of Sustainable Development of Teamwork

There are two basic sources of information to draw on when examining the issue of sustainable development of teamwork. The first source is the extensive research in psychology and the social sciences called group dynamics. Group dynamics examines the behavior of individuals within smaller groups. The issue of group dynamics has been studied for a long time and has produced a wide range of knowledge about the functioning of groups. The second source of information is management science and applied social science. These examine the issue of work teams within organizations to make the process of sustainable development of teamwork more effective, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the organizations themselves. The information from both sources is very closely related, complementary, and builds on each other [4,5].

Many authors have attempted to define the team appropriately [6], characterizing a team as a community of people who have been brought together to perform organizationally relevant tasks. Looking at the issue in more detail, they refer to a team as a community of employees that exists to accomplish a task important to the organization, sharing one or more common goals, performing social interactions, exhibiting task interdependence, and establishing and maintaining boundaries. At the same time, it is necessary for the team to operate within a broader organizational context that defines its boundaries, constrains it, and coordinates its interactions with other entities within the organization, as studied in an evaluation of teamwork and cooperation among high school students.

Teamwork can also be defined as cooperation with others in which team members influence, support, encourage, resolve conflicts that arise, negotiate, and guide each other. The three basic perspectives on teamwork are empowering, panoptic, and conflictual. These perspectives highlight the different forms, functions, and consequences of teamwork depending on the scientific discipline and point of view [7].

The empowerment perspective is often associated with the human resources approach. It sees sustainable development of teamwork as a management strategy aimed at solving the problems associated with the lack of flexibility of organizations that do not encourage their employees to work as a team [8,9]. There is a form of autonomy that teamwork brings to employees that shows them that they are valued by the organization. In this way, managers relinquish some of their power and hand it over to teams, which in turn leads to greater flexibility and better performance. The power that is relinquished by management in this way is transformed into power that better enables the organization to achieve its stated goals [10]. The positive impact of team involvement is due to the reduced reliance on hierarchical structure and employee collaboration [11].

The panoptic perspective defines teamwork as a managerial strategy aimed at increasing the effort that employees put into their work and reducing sabotage in the organization. This is achieved through increased observation and mutual control among employees. Named after the panoptic prison, this perspective argues that firms form teams to encourage employees to monitor each other. This promotes discipline and adherence to internal rules among employees [12].

If an organization links financial bonuses to the performance of the entire team, individual employees are even more motivated to observe their colleagues, promoting discipline and efficiency of the entire team [13]. Employees behaving in an undisciplined manner or otherwise contributing to reduced team effectiveness are thus quickly punished, either formally or informally within the team. This perspective coincides with the previous one in that it encourages the formation of teams within the organization for the purpose of greater efficiency and better goal achievement. It does not indicate better cooperation, greater flexibility, and better employee feeling as the reason, but rather a feeling of constant control and fear of official or unofficial punishment.

Some authors also see teamwork as a space for conflict to emerge. This perspective to some extent combines the two previous perspectives. It argues that once a work team is formed, conflict will arise in the employee. On the one hand, the employee perceives partial autonomy and all the benefits that working in a team entails. On the other hand, the employee may also feel more monitored by their colleagues and feel increased responsibility. Depending on the circumstances and the approach of the organization, teamwork can have both an effective and a negative impact on the organization and its ability to achieve its goals [14].

Based on research on the dynamic aspect of sustainable development of teamwork [15,16], it is possible to define a few broadly valid phases of teamwork. These phases are called forming, confronting, norming, collaborating, and disengaging. In the first phase, the team is freshly formed, its members are anxious and uncertain. They want others to wish them well, so they try to present themselves politely and enthusiastically. Individual members rarely know each other well within the work team, leading to a lack of trust within the team. Conflict usually arises during the confrontation phase. Initial efforts to get along decline and individual members struggle to find their place and role within the team, which often means competing for influence within the team. In the next phase, conflict resolution occurs. The team defines rules, competencies, and responsibilities. At the same time, team identity formation takes place as part of the normalization process. Normalization moves into the next phase called collaboration. During this phase, most of the results expected of the team are produced. After the task is completed, the last phase of teamwork comes. In this phase, the task is completed, and the team is disbanded, which should give individual members a sense of satisfaction at having accomplished the goal, but also a sense of sadness at having ended the collaboration. Ideally, team members are assigned to a new team with a different mix of people and goals, in which the phases are repeated [17,18].

The individual inputs to the team collaboration process represent the prerequisites for successful team collaboration, and their appropriate combination contributes to the effectiveness of the whole team collaboration [19,20]. Inputs at the individual member level represent the capabilities and characteristics of team members and form the core of inputs to the team collaboration process. These include competence, personality of members, goal orientation, team roles, demographic diversity, and relationships of individual members [21,22]. Team level inputs to the team collaboration process are one level above the member level and individual inputs must be considered for successful application of team collaboration principles to the organization. These include form of team management, team training, team structure, power sharing, team trust, trust within the topic, sharing mental models, strategic team consensus, climate within the team, transactional memory systems, and team cohesiveness [23,24]. Teams within an organization do not exist in isolation. Even the teams with the highest degree of autonomy must operate within the broader concept of the organization and their activities are influenced by external factors. These include the organization’s openness to team collaboration and building a team culture, the coordination of multiple teams, and the corporate or organizational culture [25,26,27,28].

2. Materials and Methods

When setting up the research project, we followed the methodology of comprehensive research in social sciences according to Disman [29].

Based on the literature review, a research problem can be formulated: How do varying perspectives on teamwork and organizational factors influence the effectiveness and sustainability of work teams? This research problem encompasses several key aspects:

• The impact of different perspectives on teamwork: The review highlights contrasting views on teamwork, from empowering employees to exerting control. Investigating how these perspectives manifest in practice and their impact on team dynamics is crucial.
• The role of organizational factors: The review emphasizes the significance of factors like team autonomy, communication, and training in shaping team effectiveness. Research is needed to understand how these factors interact and influence team outcomes.
• The sustainability of teamwork: The review acknowledges the dynamic nature of teams and the importance of factors like team cohesiveness and conflict resolution for long-term success. Research should explore how organizations can foster sustainable teamwork over time.

This research problem provides a broad framework for investigating the main organizational factors that contribute to effective and sustainable teamwork. Based on this, the aim of our research was to examine the state of team cooperation management at the organizational level.

(a)

To conduct a questionnaire survey among companies operating in the Slovak Republic (The questionnaire is included as Appendix B);

(b)

To conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews with managers who are responsible for managing sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level;

(c)

Based on the results of the surveys, formulate conclusions, and recommendations for practice.

Primary information from the Slovak environment was collected in two main ways: (1) questionnaires as a more quantitative method and (2) semi-structured interviews as a more qualitative method. The combination of quantitative and qualitative surveys provided a more accurate view of the whole issue under study. The intention was for the two research methods to complement each other properly so that the quantitative findings could be explored in more detail in a qualitative way. It was essential that the respondents were always the managers directly responsible for coordinating the sustainable development of teamwork, its complex organization, and the team leaders. We focused on organizations with 50 or more employees. They operate on the territory of the Slovak Republic and a substantial part of their business is focused on the ICT sector. Alternatively, they make extensive use of sophisticated ICT tools in their internal processes. For both approaches, we surveyed the following four main topic areas:

• Team system and work positions in the team. We needed to understand how the teams under study are formed, whether it is a purposeful way given by the management, or whether there is room for more free possibilities of team formation (so called bottom-up).
• Division of tasks in the team and tasks management. As in the previous area, we investigated whether the roles in the team are clearly and firmly prescribed by the management, or whether there is a degree of free or ad hoc adaptation. We also needed to understand the managerial sense of the situations under study.
• Team communication (external, internal). We focused on understanding what is used most often and what is considered most effective in the cases studied in terms of communication. Also, the opposite, what is considered to be the least effective. Here, we understood communication mainly from a managerial perspective, specifically in terms of its impact on the achievement of goals and the effectiveness of team functioning.
• Team training activities. In this area, we needed to understand how management works with developing the capabilities of team members. Also, the degree of flexibility in this area, such as the procedures given and the degree of free decision-making choices made by team members.

The primary sources of information are in-depth semi-structured interviews with representatives of Slovak organizations and inquiries in the form of a questionnaire. Each of the established tools has its own specifications and unique advantages and disadvantages. For this reason, it was necessary to define for each area that will be focused on, the goal of the research with the given tool, the scope, and content of the set of attributes that will examine the basic set of subjects of the analysis as well as the sample.

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 organizations in Slovakia as part of the research. All organizations actively use sustainable development of teamwork. These were project-based organizations, using project and non-production teams. These were M2M solutions, Avast, Transdata, Inloop X, Technia, Kros, Softec, Emtest, Goodrequest, Globalllogic, Ipesoft, Siemens, Azet, AT&T, Hour, Peik-ko, Hyperia, Prima banka, and the airline operating in the Slovak Republic.

After defining the attributes of team cooperation and their subsequent narrowing for research purposes, it was obvious that the management system of team cooperation at the organizational level is still quite complex and the number of obtained attributes is extensive. For that reason, in-depth interviews with representatives of organizations in Slovakia were determined as the main tool for obtaining primary information. The representatives of the organizations belonged to four basic groups. a team member, a team leader, a manager responsible for coordinating multiple teams, and a representative of the top management of the organization. In each company, one respondent belonging to one of these four groups was interviewed: 4 team members, 6 team leaders, 7 managers responsible for coordinating multiple teams, and 2 representatives of the top management. In-depth interviews with representatives in the given positions were able to consult in detail the process of managing team cooperation and obtain answers to a significant number of attributes. The sector in which the addressed organizations are supposed to operate was primarily narrowed down to information technology. The reason was the ideality of the form of work and the use of teams and especially project teams in the given industry. According to a quick survey, it was organizations operating in the field of information technology that emerged as leaders in Slovakia in the application of foreign trends in the management of project teams, such as the application of the SCRUM methodology and the use of virtual teams and the use of ICT for communication, reporting, and monitoring. Another reason for choosing the IT industry was the availability of the required organizations in relation to the educational institution where the research is taking place. In addition to organizations from the field of information technology, secondary and other organizations were targeted. The goal of involving other organizations was to obtain a different perspective and point out other important trends in the field of team cooperation management, such as multiculturalism and global virtual teamwork. Other perspectives gained through secondary interviews helped to achieve the desired saturation of findings more quickly. The basic set for the research tool was made up of organizations using sustainable development of teamwork based on the conditions defined by the object and subject of the dissertation research, primarily from the field of information technology. Individual interviews were conducted until there was sufficient saturation of findings.

Questioning using the questionnaire technique also provides a more comprehensive overview of the overall conditions and use of the surveyed process in the Slovak Republic. The questionnaire serves as a supporting tool for obtaining primary research information. The aim of questioning using the questionnaire technique was to support the findings from the interviews in a wider statistical set and to obtain a more comprehensive view of the management of team cooperation in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. In order to obtain a more complex and general view of the matter, the basic set was determined as organizations operating in the territory of the Slovak Republic with 50 or more employees, which actively use teamwork within their processes.

As already mentioned, organizations in the field of information technology are among the most progressive organizations in the implementation of new trends in the sustainable development of teamwork. The aim of the questionnaire was therefore to verify how teamwork is managed in other industries. However, due to the availability of statistical information, it was not possible to determine the size of the base file. The reason is that in the available databases it is not possible to filter organizations according to whether they use teamwork or not. For the purposes of the research, a basic set representing all business entities operating in the territory of the Slovak Republic with more than 50 employees was used, of which there are 3,619 based on information from the statistical office. The organizations were approached based on a deliberate selection and a total of 169 questionnaires were obtained. The achieved sampling error was thus 7.5%. Specifically, it concerns data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, data on economic entities by the number of employees, limited to commercial enterprises without the state and public sector [30]. Simplification and abstraction helped distinguish important information from less important information. When investigating complex social systems such as the sustainable development of teamwork, it is necessary to simplify some components so that they can be better investigated. At the same time, it also helps with the ability to correctly imagine the system and understand the relationships between its individual components, the synthesis of findings and knowledge, their classification, and application within hierarchical relationships. The synthesis was used to investigate four main sections.

3. Results

Here, we present an overview of the main results from both the quantitative questionnaire survey and the qualitative interviews. The results comprehensively answer the four main research areas mentioned above.

3.1. Team System and Work Positions in the Team

Questionnaire respondents were categorized by their roles within the team, consistent with the interview methodology. Figure 1 illustrates that 73% of respondents identified as “team members”. This distribution closely resembles the employee composition observed in the interviews.

The significant number of responses from team members provides a valuable counterbalance to the interview data, which predominantly featured perspectives from organizational management. This combination offers a comprehensive understanding of teamwork dynamics from both employee and management viewpoints.

The prominent role of teamwork within these organizations is further evidenced by respondent attitudes towards the statement, “In our organization, we try to solve tasks and problems mainly in a team way”. As depicted in Figure 2, a substantial majority of respondents expressed complete or partial agreement. This finding is notable given that the organization sample was not specifically selected based on industry or the extent of project management implementation.

An analysis of manager-to-team ratios (Figure 3) reveals a trend contrary to the expected 1:1 model. In the Slovak context, the most frequent observation was the management of two to three teams by a single manager.

Analysis of questionnaire data revealed a concerning lack of formal teamwork education. For 35% of respondents, all of whom are active team members, they reported no participation in any teamwork-related training within the past year. Moreover, 41% reported attending only one or two such courses. These findings suggest that teamwork management in the Slovak context may rely heavily on informal, intuitive approaches, with inadequate attention to the formal training and development of effective teamwork processes.

The subjective perception of team effectiveness is presented in Figure 4. While the analysis revealed a significant gap in formal teamwork training, a substantial majority of respondents rated their team’s effectiveness at a high level (scores of 4 or 5 on a 1–5 scale). It is important to emphasize that these values reflect the subjective assessments of the surveyed individuals.

Figure 5 investigates the prevalence of organic team formation within organizations. The findings corroborate interview data, demonstrating that capacity-based team formation by management remains the predominant approach in the Slovak context. Analysis of respondent attitudes towards the statement “Team is predominantly formed by the manager or management” revealed a significant level of agreement.

The 36 organizations that did not agree with the statement can be considered an indicator of the nascent application of organic team formation principles within the Slovak organizational landscape. (Note: The graph displays the frequency of respondent answers.)

To ensure the collection of diverse perspectives on team collaboration, interview participants were carefully selected based on their specific roles within team dynamics. These roles included (a) team member(s), (b) team leader(s), (c) coordinator of several teams, and (d) senior management representative. Each role offers a unique and valuable perspective on the challenges and realities of team collaboration within real-world organizational contexts.

A significant challenge lies in the current approach to team formation. While 70% of the interviewed organizations emphasized the importance of effective team composition, further investigation revealed a strong reliance on time capacity as the primary determinant. Organizations often start by identifying the skills required for a specific project. They then search within departments for individuals with those skills, prioritizing those with the least current workload. While some organizations consider factors like seniority, the inclusion of social dynamics within team formation remains limited. Social relationships are typically only considered for key employees, highlighting a narrow focus in this area.

3.2. Division of Tasks in the Team and Tasks Management

We can stress the importance of teamwork in organizations with more than 50 employees. A substantial 44% of respondents indicated that 81–100% of tasks within their organizations involve team collaboration. Cumulatively, a remarkable 72% of organizations leverage teamwork for more than half of their tasks.

Figure 6 reveals that teams in the Slovak context primarily operate over extended periods. Questionnaire data indicate that 38% of organizations reported an average team lifespan exceeding three years. Moreover, a significant majority (over two-thirds) of organizations reported an average team lifespan exceeding one year.

The observation of long-term teams aligns with interview findings and highlights the pervasive importance of teamwork beyond the IT sector. The substantial proportion of tasks executed through team collaboration further underscores the critical need for effective team management.

The significance of teamwork within organizational processes is further emphasized by the time allocation for individual activities, as illustrated in Figure 7. A mere 2% of respondents reported dedicating more than 50% of their time to individual tasks. Conversely, a substantial 65% of respondents indicated that less than half of their time is devoted to individual activities.

The initial focus of the interviews was to investigate the extent to which teamwork is utilized within organizations. The selection criteria for the interviewed organizations ensured that they actively employed teamwork in their operations.

Teamwork constitutes a fundamental aspect of the processes within these organizations that participated in the research. Notably, nearly half of the interviewed organizations reported that over 70% of their tasks are executed through collaborative efforts. Furthermore, a significant subset (four organizations) indicated that all tasks, to some degree, involve team collaboration.

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of team processes, it was crucial to analyze the relationship between the proportion of tasks solved through teamwork and the percentage of employees working within teams. This analysis provides valuable insights into the utilization of organizational support functions, which may not directly contribute to project completion and are not inherently team-based.

The findings reveal that 63% of organizations reported that over 70% of their employees are actively engaged in team-based work. This observation diverges from the previous finding regarding the proportion of tasks solved through teamwork. This discrepancy was attributed by organizational representatives to the distinct nature of work performed by team members versus individual contributors.

The tasks undertaken by individual contributors are often characterized by lower complexity and a more routine nature. However, the sheer volume of these tasks can significantly impact organizational resources in terms of time and energy. Consequently, some organizations that exclusively utilize team-based approaches for task execution have opted to “outsource” these routine individual tasks to external contractors. This strategy enables them to concentrate their internal resources on core business activities, such as project development. The delegation of routine individual tasks represents a prominent emerging trend. Another significant trend involves the integration of individual support staff into broader team structures. This approach fosters a more inclusive team culture and enhances overall organizational efficiency.

Organizational representatives provided further clarification regarding the discrepancy between the proportion of tasks solved in teams and the percentage of employees working within teams. They explained that even employees primarily engaged in team-based work often need to perform individual support tasks.

Despite this, a significant dominance of teamwork was observed across most organizations. However, it is important to note that the lowest ratio encountered in the study was a relatively balanced 50:50 split between team-based work and individual tasks.

A key area of discussion during the interviews centered on the concept of organic team emergence. This concept proved to be largely unfamiliar to most participants, regardless of their role within the organization (team member, team leader, manager, or senior management). Based on the interview findings, organic team emergence appears to be an under-recognized trend within the Slovakian business landscape.

It is crucial to note that the organizations involved in this study are considered progressive in their adoption of team collaboration and actively seek to enhance their team collaboration management processes. This perception was corroborated by the participating organizations themselves.

Only 11% of organizations actively support the organic emergence of teams. However, even within this small group, such support is often limited and marginal based on deeper interview insights.

A further 21% acknowledged the theoretical possibility of organic team emergence within their organization but reported minimal or no practical occurrences. A significant majority, constituting 68% of the organizations, explicitly stated that organic team emergence is entirely incompatible with their current team collaboration management processes.

Over 70% of the interviewed organizations rated organizational autonomy as high or very high. Autonomy and freedom are indeed crucial factors that facilitate the organic formation of teams. However, other critical criteria, such as organizational transparency, and the provision of adequate time and financial resources for development and innovation, were found to significantly hinder the organic emergence of teams within these organizations.

Even in organizations that professed support for organic team emergence, the methods employed to facilitate this process often lacked direct relevance. Team-building activities, such as annual or quarterly social gatherings, were frequently cited as support mechanisms. While these activities can potentially foster positive social relationships within teams, thereby indirectly contributing to organic team emergence, this connection is tenuous and the actual effectiveness of such measures remains uncertain.

3.3. Team Communication (External, Internal)

Figure 8 provides an overview of communication tool usage within Slovak organizations. The findings reveal a strong reliance on traditional communication methods, with face-to-face meetings, personal consultations, email, and phone calls dominating.

Project management tools, representing a modern approach to teamwork management, are currently utilized for only 8% of tasks within the Slovak context. This suggests a significant gap in the adoption of these tools, which can significantly enhance collaboration and efficiency.

The subsequent analysis examined the utilization of individual communication tools in relation to key activities associated with teamwork management within organizations. These core activities include (a) work planning, (b) team building, (c) task division, (d) training and orientation of new members, (e) team coordination, (f) general reporting, (g) performance monitoring, (h) customer communication, (i) communication with the immediate manager, (j) communication with upper management, (k) communication among team members, (l) reporting on completed tasks, (m) and reporting on identified problems.

Figure 9 illustrates the varying usage of different communication tools across various teamwork management activities:

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Face-to-face communication emerged as a prominent channel, particularly in activities such as team building and the training and orientation of new team members. These activities often benefit from in-person interaction, fostering stronger interpersonal connections and facilitating knowledge transfer.

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Other activities, such as work planning, task division, and reporting, may be more effectively conducted through ICT-mediated communication tools, allowing for greater flexibility, efficiency, and accessibility.

Figure 9. Proportion of use of communication tools for teamwork activities.

Figure 9. Proportion of use of communication tools for teamwork activities.

This highlights the importance of selecting the most appropriate communication channel based on the specific nature of the teamwork management activity.

The significance of in-person interaction within training programs is evident. Interviews with organizational representatives revealed that a common practice involves assigning new team members to experienced colleagues. This mentorship approach facilitates dynamic and personalized communication, thereby accelerating the training process.

Analysis of Figure 9 reveals a nuanced relationship between teamwork management activities and preferred communication channels. While face-to-face communication proves crucial for activities emphasizing interpersonal interaction, such as team building and the onboarding of new members, other activities may be more effectively facilitated through ICT-mediated tools. This highlights the need for a nuanced approach to communication strategy, selecting channels that best suit the specific requirements of each teamwork management activity.

While project management information system (PMIS) tools are not yet universally adopted for reporting and monitoring activities within the surveyed organizations, their share is significant. This suggests a gradual shift towards the utilization of these technologies. This trend likely reflects a slower adoption of international best practices and a gradual integration of ICT tools into various aspects of teamwork management within the Slovak context.

The prevalence of traditional communication tools within the studied organizations is further evident in Figure 10, which illustrates the frequency of tool usage. This figure demonstrates that telephone communication, email, and face-to-face consultations remain the most frequently utilized communication channels, with a significant proportion of employees using these tools more than once per day.

While these findings may seem to contradict broader market trends, they are understandable given the specific focus of the interviewed organizations. As organizations operating within the information technology sector, one would expect a more pronounced adoption of advanced ICT tools for communication and teamwork management.

Instead of focusing on the frequency of communication, a supplementary question examined the average time consumption associated with each communication tool. Figure 11 illustrates the number of organizations reporting that a particular tool consumes more than 10 h per week on average.

This analysis reveals a significant disparity between the frequency of communication and the associated time consumption, particularly when comparing email and telephone communication with face-to-face consultations.

A significant finding from the questionnaire survey highlights the considerable time consumption associated with face-to-face communication and meetings. In 31 organizations, employees reported dedicating more than a quarter of their weekly working time to these activities.

This finding, also corroborated by interview data and case study analysis, underscores a critical challenge within many organizations: the perception that excessive time spent on face-to-face interactions can be unproductive and detrimental to both team effectiveness and overall team culture.

Indeed, interviews and case study analyses consistently identified the loss of time due to excessive face-to-face contact as a major obstacle to effective teamwork management and the cultivation of a positive team environment.

While forming teams based solely on capacity is often perceived as the most practical approach, interviews revealed that alternative methodologies can be successfully implemented in certain contexts. The feasibility of these alternative approaches depends on various factors, including the organization’s existing work systems and the nature and duration of projects.

Notably, 73% of organizations reported that team member roles and responsibilities are always clearly defined within the context of the team’s objectives and the project’s requirements, even if these definitions are not formally documented. Conversely, less than 30% of organizations provide teams with greater autonomy, allowing them to self-organize and define their own roles and responsibilities within a shorter orientation period. This approach, when successfully implemented, has been highly praised by both organizations and their teams, emerging as a key factor in achieving team success.

Within the sample of organizations studied, 75% reported utilizing the SCRUM methodology for project management to some extent. The remaining 25% adhered to a traditional waterfall approach. Among the 75% employing SCRUM, approximately one-third have fully integrated the methodology across all organizational levels, while another third utilize SCRUM exclusively within specific departments, such as development teams. The remaining third have selectively adopted certain aspects of SCRUM and agile principles to create a customized project management system.

When evaluating the suitability of the SCRUM methodology, significant discrepancies emerged based on the respondent’s role within the organization. While management and leadership generally viewed the introduction of SCRUM positively, primarily due to its emphasis on clear roles and responsibilities, team members often perceived it as an unnecessary burden and a waste of time. The perspectives of team leaders were more varied, influenced by the extent to which the organization had adopted the SCRUM methodology. Organizations implementing SCRUM comprehensively generally received more positive feedback from team leaders compared to those adopting only select aspects of the methodology.

ICT tools played a significant role in managing teamwork across all the interviewed organizations, with team members utilizing at least three different ICT tools for activities such as communication, monitoring, reporting, time tracking, and resource management. Despite this high level of ICT tool utilization, the overall effectiveness of these tools was frequently questioned by organizational representatives.

One of the primary challenges identified was the incompatibility of various ICT systems. Due to the gradual and often uncoordinated implementation of different systems across departments, organizations frequently encountered situations where different teams utilized incompatible systems for similar activities.

This lack of interoperability hindered data transfer, complicated internal monitoring efforts, and obstructed the development of a transparent and open team culture. Organizations experiencing these compatibility issues consistently cited them as a major impediment to effective teamwork management and prioritized the resolution of these issues as a key objective for future improvement.

Organizational transparency and the fostering of an open team culture are further hindered by the restrictive access rights granted to individual information. In many of the surveyed organizations, access to critical information, including details about teams, projects, and team members, is often limited to senior management. This restricted access to information not only hinders the organic emergence of teams but also impedes the overall improvement of team dynamics within the organization.

A universally acknowledged benefit of utilizing ICT tools within team collaboration is their ability to effectively track work time, monitor progress on individual tasks, and facilitate the identification and reporting of encountered problems.

The continuous monitoring capabilities of tools such as JIRA were particularly well received by organizational representatives at all levels. These features were highly valued for their significant time and energy savings, as they minimize the need for frequent face-to-face meetings and the manual preparation of progress reports.

While more progressive organizations have adopted modern ICT tools as their primary means of internal communication, other organizations continue to rely heavily on traditional communication channels, such as email, face-to-face interactions, and telephone calls.

Based on an examination of the conditions for managing team cooperation within the Slovak Republic, as well as general observations regarding teamwork management, the most serious problem areas were identified. The assessment of these problem areas considered their frequency of occurrence and their overall impact on team dynamics. Based on this analysis, several key areas for improvement were identified, including the following:

(a)

Unification of ICT tools to enhance transparency and reduce the reliance on time-consuming personal consultations.

(b)

Application of agile methodologies for effective project and team management.

(c)

Fostering social and professional relationships across departments to facilitate the organic formation of teams.

(d)

Investing in comprehensive teamwork education and training programs.

(e)

Prioritizing the social aspect of team dynamics and management.

(f)

Supporting the development and management of multicultural virtual teams.

(g)

Promoting a flatter organizational structure.

These recommendations aim to address critical challenges and enhance the effectiveness of teamwork within contemporary organizations.

3.4. Team Training Activities

As part of the investigation into incentive programs for improving teamwork, the questionnaire assessed organizational attitudes towards fostering internal competition among teams (Figure 12). However, the results of both the questionnaire and the interviews largely contradicted this notion.

Organizations generally recognize the importance of fostering internal cooperation and a collaborative team culture, rather than short-term gains through inter-team competition.

Nevertheless, questionnaire data indicated a higher prevalence of internal competition than observed during the interviews. Thirty-seven organizations reported fostering some level of competition among teams. This discrepancy may be attributed to differing perspectives based on individual roles within the organization. While management representatives consistently expressed strong opposition to fostering inter-team competition, team members may perceive certain organizational practices as creating a competitive environment, even if this is not the explicit intention.

The limited emphasis on teamwork within some organizations is further evidenced by the frequency of training programs related to teamwork or relevant soft skills.

Organizations reporting that 100% of their tasks are executed through team collaboration demonstrate a strong commitment to teamwork development, providing their employees with an average of 10 teamwork-related training sessions per year. This frequency is even higher for managerial positions.

In contrast, a more prevalent practice observed in the research involved a limited focus on formal training and a greater emphasis on informal team-building activities.

A common approach to employee training involved an individual-based model. This approach typically involves providing financial support to employees who identify specific training needs or areas for professional development.

However, a significant limitation of this model is that organizations often fail to provide adequate time for employees to engage in these training opportunities. This can result in increased workload and stress for employees, as they are expected to undertake training activities alongside their existing responsibilities.

Delegating the identification of training needs and the selection of training programs to individual employees, while seemingly empowering, can ultimately undermine the development of a unified team culture and a cohesive approach to teamwork management.

Furthermore, restricting this benefit to a select group of employees perceived as “special” by the organization can exacerbate existing inequalities within the team and create a detrimental environment for teamwork.

4. Discussion

Based on the results of our research, it is possible to offer a set of general recommendations for organizations to consider when trying to manage their teams effectively. These recommendations focus on four basic research areas: (1) Team system, work positions in the team, and traditional and agile approaches. (2) Division of tasks in the team, tasks management, ICT implementation issues, and remote work. (3) Team communication (external, internal) and main psychological factors. (4) Team training activities. For each, we discuss the practical implications as well as the theoretical context. At the same time, these are also the overall conclusions from the research. These areas are ranked based on their hierarchy and importance for implementation within the organizational level of management.

4.1. Team System, Work Positions in the Team, Traditional and Agile Approaches

Reserve a small part of the capacity for the possibility of organic team formation. The organic emergence of teams is one of the main foreign trends in the management of sustainable development of teamwork. While the whole point of organic team formation is that it stems from initiative at the individual level, its emergence is contingent on the conditions defined within the framework of team collaboration management at the organizational level. It is up to the organization to provide the conditions for its employees to come up with new ideas and teams. If applied correctly, this can then result in an overall improvement in team culture that is transferred to the inorganically formed teams, as well as an increase in the organization’s innovation activity and employee satisfaction. One of the primary ways to support organic emergence is to allocate a certain amount of employee capacity specifically to activities carried out in organic teams. A suitable approach is to reserve primarily a small part of the time capacities. On the other hand, financial capacities are allocated only after an evaluation of the innovation potential of the team project being carried out. However, before applying the given proposal, an analysis of the current state of sustainable development of teamwork and especially team culture should be carried out to define the level of willingness of team members to pay sufficient attention to the organic creation of new teams.

Promote a sense of team freedom as one of the main tools for building a team culture. In Slovak conditions, a team is often understood as a group to which you are forcibly assigned and told what to do. On the other hand, positive examples from abroad show that teams work much better if they have a sense of freedom. At the same time, it is important for effective synergy that individual members feel safe in the team. Safety and freedom are very closely linked and together they form important components of the team culture in an organization. The freedom or degree of autonomy of the team represents the involvement of the manager or leadership in the day-to-day activities and decisions of the team. Trust of the organization and management in the team’s ability to achieve the desired goal, likewise, contributes to improved synergy and overall team culture. One of the tools to induce a sense of freedom in teams while not losing control is the introduction of ICT tools in the monitoring and reporting. With a continuous record of progress, problems discovered, and time spent that managers and executives can review at any time, they have a constant overview, but from the perspective of team members, scrutiny is less felt than with regular meetings. Monitoring and reporting as presented also reduces time coordination problems for scheduling meetings. In managing the sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level, the authority but also the responsibility for most team decisions should be shifted to the team itself and their mutual consensus, while strategic project decisions are still controlled at the organizational level.

Leave room for managers to dynamically manage the system of teams. Dynamic team management is one of the tools that allows us to apply modern trends in team management not only to secondary teams but also to primary teams. In fact, when set up appropriately, it allows them to increase the flexibility of the team collaboration management process. Based on research, it is recommended that organizations should make dynamic team collaboration management the responsibility of managers responsible for coordinating multiple teams in most cases. This is due to a better knowledge of the individual teams, whose system changes continuously, and of the team members. The organization, however, should provide general rules to encourage managers to manage teams dynamically and not just maintain the status quo. Again, this reiterates the idea of specifying uniform rules to support the desired action within the process of managing teams, but also leaving the freedom for teams to design the system themselves. The only exception should be the dynamic management of a small group of key staff who can be seen as strategic resources at the organizational level.

When organizing teamwork, it is possible to use traditional management practices or more modern ones—referred to as agile. They can be briefly compared and, of course, combined in practice according to the given situation, available resources, and specific objectives.

Traditional team structures are typically characterized by a hierarchical organization, with a clear chain of command and well-defined roles and responsibilities. The decision-making authority is often centralized, with managers or team leaders playing a dominant role in directing and controlling team activities. Communication tends to follow formal channels, and there is a strong emphasis on following established procedures and protocols [31,32,33,34,35,36,37].

While traditional structures can provide stability and clarity, they may also limit flexibility, stifle innovation, and hinder rapid response to change [38].

Agile team structures, on the other hand, are characterized by their flexibility, adaptability, and emphasis on self-organization. Teams are empowered to make decisions independently, and communication is more fluid and informal. There is a strong focus on collaboration, continuous improvement, and responding quickly to changing customer needs and market demands [39,40,41,42].

Agile team structures, on the other hand, are characterized by their flexibility, adaptability, and emphasis on self-organization. Teams are empowered to make decisions independently, and communication is more fluid and informal. There is a strong focus on collaboration, continuous improvement, and responding quickly to changing customer needs and market demands. Agile structures can foster innovation, improve employee engagement, and enable faster decision-making. However, they may also require a greater degree of self-discipline and coordination among team members [43].

• Key Differences and Insights:

• Hierarchy vs. Self-Organization: Traditional structures emphasize hierarchy and centralized control, while agile structures prioritize self-organization and decentralized decision-making [44,45].
• Formal vs. Informal Communication: Traditional structures rely on formal communication channels, while agile structures encourage more fluid and informal communication [46,47].
• Stability vs. Adaptability: Traditional structures prioritize stability and adherence to procedures, while agile structures emphasize adaptability and rapid response to change [48].
• Control vs. Empowerment: Traditional structures focus on control and oversight, while agile structures promote empowerment and team autonomy [49].

Organizations should carefully consider their specific needs and context when choosing between traditional and agile team structures. While traditional structures may be suitable for certain types of projects or industries, agile structures are often better suited for dynamic environments that require rapid response to change and continuous innovation. We can also emphasize the importance of training and support for teams transitioning to agile structures, as well as the need for a supportive organizational culture that values collaboration, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

4.2. Division of Tasks in the Team, Tasks Management, ICT Implentation Issues, and Remote Work

Support employees in defining their own goals, which they will only achieve as a team. One of the excellent tools to build team culture indirectly and non-violently is the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) method and its application. Slovak organizations can also learn from its activities, especially when managing secondary teams. To recap briefly, employees need to define their own long-term and intermediate goals and tools to measure the goals. Meeting them, however, is not the basis for remuneration. An important ingredient for managing the sustainable development of teamwork is that goals are usually defined at a level that the employee cannot achieve on their own. It is therefore necessary to search within a transparent database for other employees with similar goals and measurement tools and convince them to embark on a project together to form an active team. Based on research, a similar adoption approach is common and often unsuccessful because the individual conditions and needs of the organization are not considered.

Consider the overall effectiveness of capacity utilization in managing the sustainable development of teamwork. Based on primary research in the Slovak Republic, it can be argued that traditional communication tools and their use occupy a significant part of the time capacities of team members and managers in organizations. A detailed analysis of the current use of capacities in teamwork and consideration of their effectiveness in individual departments can contribute to comprehensive changes in communication rules and thus save valuable capacities. Face-to-face meetings and face-to-face communication are often considered by representatives of organizations as a waste of time and especially of working energy. For some organizations, moving to more modern forms of communication or at least streamlining the current form of communication, for example, by applying project management methodologies, could not only save capacity that can be used more efficiently, but also build a more positive team culture.

Support tools designed for long-term team effectiveness and organizational results have a significant impact on the course of team cooperation at the organizational level and its results. The main such tools include team collaboration methodologies, or project management methodologies correctly applied to team collaboration conditions, and ICT support for the purpose of team collaboration. Research findings show significant use of the aforementioned methodologies in organizations operating in the field of information technology. Whether it was directly adopting the SCRUM methodology or applying the principles of project team management to the creation of own methodologies.

The use of virtual teams is the next logical step in the application of modern ICT tools to the process of managing team collaboration. As already mentioned, the benefits include access to a significantly larger pool of potential talented employees. Based on primary research, it is possible to say that the lack of qualified employees is currently one of the most serious problems of Slovak organizations. It is admittedly highly unrealistic to say, for example, that a Slovak IT organization will be able to afford to enter a competitive battle for qualified employees with established organizations from the USA or Japan. Given the opportunities provided by the Internet, they still have access to a very qualified workforce, which could theoretically be interested in working in the team of a Slovak organization if the conditions are set appropriately. Representatives of the organizations identified negative social relations as a major problem spilling over into the sustainable development of teamwork and the work environment. On the contrary, positive social relationships within the team did not have such a significant impact on the team’s outcome. In the same way, it is also possible to explain why team-building in the form of a common chat or a get-together with alcohol as the only tool to promote teamwork may not have a great impact on the overall process of managing teamwork in the organization. The virtual nature of teamwork avoids the unnecessary social problems associated with everyday life in the office and, together with a transparent culture, enables positive interactions and relationships to be created if desired.

In our research, we found that firms declared difficulties in implementing ICT in their team management and teamwork. The following can be considered as the main reasons:

• Lack of Understanding and Strategic Planning. Many organizations adopt ICT tools without fully grasping their potential benefits or having a clear implementation strategy. This can lead to resistance from employees who view these tools as disruptive or unnecessary, hindering successful integration into workflows.
• Incompatibility Issues. Often, organizations implement ICT tools in a piecemeal fashion, without considering the broader context or existing systems. This can create compatibility problems, negating the potential efficiency gains and leading to wasted time and resources.
• Inadequate Training and Support. Organizations may not provide adequate training and support for employees to effectively utilize new ICT tools. This can result in frustration, low adoption rates, and a perception that these tools are more trouble than they are worth.
• Ignoring Team Culture and Dynamics. ICT implementation often overlooks the importance of team culture and dynamics. Organizations may impose tools without considering team preferences or existing communication norms, leading to resistance and hindering collaboration.
• We see the following as possible solutions for successful ICT implementation: develop a comprehensive ICT strategy. Organizations should develop a comprehensive ICT strategy that aligns with their overall goals and objectives. This strategy should include a thorough assessment of needs, a clear implementation plan, and a focus on compatibility with existing systems.
• Provide Adequate Training and Support. Organizations should invest in training and support to ensure that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively utilize new ICT tools. This includes providing clear instructions, offering ongoing support, and addressing any technical challenges that may arise.
• Foster a Culture of Collaboration and Open Communication. Organizations should promote a culture of collaboration and open communication, encouraging employees to share their feedback and suggestions regarding ICT implementation. This can help identify potential challenges early on and ensure that the tools are integrated in a way that supports teamwork and communication.
• Choose the Right Tools for the Job. Organizations should carefully evaluate and select ICT tools that are appropriate for their specific needs and context. This includes considering factors such as team size, project complexity, and communication preferences.
• Prioritize User Experience and Integration. Organizations should prioritize user experience and integration when implementing ICT tools, ensuring that the tools are user-friendly and seamlessly integrate with existing workflows. This can help increase adoption rates and minimize disruption to productivity.
• Monitor and Evaluate Effectiveness. Organizations should continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of ICT tools, making adjustments as needed to optimize their use and ensure they are supporting teamwork and communication goals.

• Remote work coordination

When we want to (based on our research) explore the relationship between remote work, team dynamics, and ICT reliance, we can provide insights into how remote work affects various aspects of team interactions and technology dependence.

Communication and Coordination. Remote work necessitates a shift in communication patterns, increasing reliance on ICT tools. Teams can no longer rely solely on face-to-face interactions and must adapt to virtual communication channels like video conferencing, instant messaging, and online collaboration platforms. This shift can present challenges, as virtual communication may not fully replicate the richness and nuances of in-person interactions. However, there are also potential benefits of virtual communication, such as increased flexibility, improved documentation, and the ability to connect with team members across geographical boundaries [50].

Trust and Team Cohesion. Building trust and maintaining team cohesion can be more challenging in remote work environments. The lack of physical proximity and face-to-face interactions can make it harder to establish rapport and build relationships among team members. To address this, organizations should prioritize virtual team-building activities, encourage frequent communication, and foster a culture of transparency and trust [50,51].

Autonomy and Flexibility. Remote work often provides teams with greater autonomy and flexibility in managing their work processes and schedules. This can lead to increased employee satisfaction and productivity, as team members can tailor their work environment to their individual needs and preferences. However, it also requires teams to be more self-organized and disciplined in managing their time and tasks [52].

ICT Reliance. Remote work significantly increases reliance on ICT tools for communication, collaboration, and project management. Organizations and teams need to invest in robust and reliable ICT infrastructure to support remote work arrangements. This includes providing access to digital collaboration platforms, video conferencing tools, and project management software, as well as ensuring that team members have the necessary skills and training to utilize these technologies effectively [53].

The Role of Leadership. Effective leadership is crucial in remote work environments to maintain team focus, provide support, and ensure that team members feel connected and engaged. Leaders need to adapt their communication styles and strategies to the virtual environment, fostering a sense of community and purpose among team members [50,54,55].

In conclusion, remote work has a profound impact on team dynamics and ICT reliance, requiring organizations and teams to adapt their communication patterns, build trust in new ways, and embrace technology to support collaboration and productivity. By understanding these dynamics and implementing appropriate strategies, organizations can successfully navigate the challenges and leverage the benefits of remote work, fostering high-performing and sustainable teams.

4.3. Team Communication (External, Internal) and Main Psychological Factors

Continuously record team feedback and internal innovations to the team collaboration process. The process of managing sustainable development of teamwork is ongoing and ever evolving. While its general principles, which were also introduced in the research, remain the same, the specific activities and their impact on the whole team culture change. For this reason, it is important for organizations to have a system in place to record new and innovative activities and encourage their teams to contribute to it. The small actions that a team adapts and develops into team routines have a cumulative effect and thus improve the whole process. If a company revisits a routine in one team, it should test its applicability in a group of four to five teams and, if it is successful, try to apply it to all teams with a similar function. However, in addition to the team members and the teams as such, feedback should also be continuously obtained from the managers responsible for coordinating multiple teams. Their ideas and innovations come from a more holistic view of the issue and can contribute to conceptual changes to the whole system of managing team collaboration.

The flat organizational structure is becoming more and more popular in Slovak organizations, but the success of its application is questionable. In some of the organizations studied, it was praised by representatives of all positions in the management of sustainable development of teamwork, while in others it was strongly criticized. An important criterion for the success of the flat structure, based on the research, is the number of teams with a flat organizational structure per manager and the resulting amount of attention they can devote to one team. Flat organizational structure is only one small step in the trend. A much more important component is creating an open atmosphere and a sense of security in teams. A team member must not be afraid to express their ideas, doubts, or questions in front of other members, the team leader, the manager, or even the management. Timidity and fear of expressing oneself are basic human characteristics and it is up to the organization to alleviate them if it wants to improve its team management process. This step can be implemented from both sides. On the one hand, the emergence of internal social norms that provide a sense of security should be encouraged, and on the other hand, team leaders and managers can be encouraged to non-violently correct team communication and actively support members who appear more timid or shy.

Although our research was focused on the organizational level of teamwork, psychological factors are highly relevant to this topic. Also in the organizational view, psychological factors, which are mainly related to trust, motivation, and conflict resolution, must always be taken into account for the sustainability of the whole management concept.

Trust is identified as a crucial element for successful teamwork, encompassing both team efficacy (belief in the team’s ability to accomplish tasks) and team potency (belief in the team’s overall capability to succeed). The research emphasizes the positive impact of trust on team performance, risk management, and member satisfaction. It also highlights the importance of building trust within teams through mechanisms like clear goal setting, open communication, and the establishment of psychological safety [56,57,58].

Motivation is recognized as another key psychological factor affecting team dynamics. The study differentiates between internal and external motivation, suggesting that organizations should foster both to promote effective teamwork. It also emphasizes the importance of aligning individual and team goals, suggesting that when team members perceive their work as contributing to a shared objective, their motivation and engagement increase [59,60,61].

Conflict resolution is acknowledged as a critical process for maintaining healthy team dynamics. The research underscores the need for organizations to establish clear procedures for conflict resolution, enabling teams to address disagreements and challenges constructively. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of conflict prevention through fostering a positive team climate, promoting open communication, and establishing clear roles and responsibilities within teams [62,63,64,65].

Our findings conclude that by addressing these psychological factors, organizations can create a more supportive and collaborative team environment, ultimately leading to improved team performance, increased innovation, and greater organizational effectiveness, and thus also the sustainability of the concept of team management and cooperation.

4.4. Team Training Solutions

Small team routines defined by the organization help a comprehensive team culture. Creating a positive team culture in an organization is challenging due to the wide range of factors that influence it. However, positive benefits can be seen from small steps. Small activities taking a few minutes a month can have a huge impact on an organization’s overall team culture if they become routines that are adopted by teams across the organization. However, the adoption of an activity is difficult to predict if its inception is only in the mind of the manager or leadership of the organization. Therefore, it is preferable to assign managers responsible for coordination to track and record individual innovations within teams. If one team comes up with an idea that will improve their teamwork, either within their team or in coordination with other teams, it is up to the manager to record it and evaluate its applicability to the whole organization. Individual teams are more likely to implement an idea if they see that it is already working somewhere and bringing benefits. This is why the team collaboration management system needs to be constantly monitored and improved based on ideas and feedback from employees, whether they are team members, team leaders, managers, or executives. Individual small routines accumulate over time and together create a more positive team culture. An important prerequisite for the emergence of ideas on how to improve sustainable development of teamwork at the individual team level is an already existing organizational culture that encourages employees and teams not to be afraid to come up with ideas for improvement.

Giving teams and their managers a space to build social interactions in a “non-violent way”. Creating a positive team culture in an organization through managing the sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level is a very complicated and challenging task. One of the important decisions that an organization must make is to decide whether it wants to foster social relationships and social interactions within the work team. Based on primary research, it can be said that organizations in Slovakia often try to connect social and work life almost exclusively through team-building in the form of a shared chat or a sit-down in a bar. Often the mentioned activity is their only step for building a team culture and managing teamwork at the organizational level. Foreign trends in the field of teamwork linkage show two basic directions. The first direction is to actively encourage employees to maximize their effectiveness at work and then to completely disengage from work to recharge their energy. This approach is becoming increasingly popular but is still a minority approach. It is suitable if an organization wants to build a purely work-based team structure, and the success of its application depends on the personal characteristics of the team members. The scenario for a team’s structure based on our expertise is primarily focused on the personal characteristics of members of the team, then looks at their abilities within the framework of expertise in the given field, and lastly and most importantly, the team manager or their leader appropriately combines their work skills and their character traits so that they achieve the highest possible team performance on their work goals. A more frequently applied approach is to non-violently support teams and team members in creating social interactions, for example, in fostering clubs with common interests or in creating space within work communication tools for social communication that is not directly related to the activity being performed. These activities create new social networks and contacts that can in turn contribute to the creation of new teams or shorten the orientation phase of the team. Considering the Slovak conditions, it is recommended to create space for voluntary social interactions based on common interests or own initiative. On the other hand, it is also a good idea to choose something from the first approach as well, specifically for managing team members who are not interested in socializing at work.

Based on our research, we can formulate several strategies or recommendations for better training in terms of effective teamwork.

• Needs Assessment: Conduct a thorough needs assessment to identify specific areas where teams and individuals require training and development. This assessment should consider factors such as team composition, project requirements, and organizational goals.
• Tailored Training Programs: Design training programs that are tailored to the specific needs of the teams and individuals involved. This may involve developing customized training modules, incorporating relevant case studies, and providing opportunities for hands-on practice.
• Blended Learning Approach: Utilize a blended learning approach that combines different training methods, such as online modules, in-person workshops, and on-the-job coaching. This can cater to diverse learning styles and preferences, maximizing the effectiveness of the training.
• Focus on Key Skills and Competencies: Prioritize training on key skills and competencies that are essential for effective teamwork, such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.
• Practical Application and Feedback: Incorporate opportunities for practical application and feedback during training, allowing participants to apply their learning in real-world scenarios and receive constructive feedback on their performance.
• Continuous Improvement: Promote a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging teams and individuals to regularly evaluate their teamwork skills and identify areas for further development.
• Leadership Development: Invest in leadership development programs that equip team leaders and managers with the skills and knowledge to effectively lead and manage teams, fostering a positive team climate and promoting collaboration.
• Evaluation and Refinement: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of training programs and make adjustments as needed to ensure they are meeting the desired objectives and contributing to improved team performance and organizational outcomes.

Specific Recommendations:

• Utilize the Comprehensive Training Model of Teamwork Competence (CTMTC) to assess and develop teamwork competence across various dimensions.
• Incorporate team-building activities and workshops to foster trust, communication, and collaboration among team members.
• Provide training on conflict resolution strategies, enabling teams to address disagreements and challenges constructively.
• Offer leadership development programs that focus on developing emotional intelligence, communication skills, and the ability to motivate and inspire teams.
• Utilize ICT tools and digital collaboration platforms to support teamwork training and development, providing access to online resources, facilitating virtual collaboration, and enhancing communication.

Mentorship Programs [66,67,68]

• Establish structured mentorship programs: Pair experienced team members with newer members to provide guidance, support, and knowledge transfer. This can help new members integrate more quickly into the team and learn from the experience of their mentors.
• Provide training for mentors: Offer training to mentors on effective mentoring practices, including communication, feedback, and support techniques.
• Incorporate mentorship into performance evaluations: Include mentorship participation and effectiveness as part of performance evaluations for both mentors and mentees.
• Encourage peer-to-peer mentoring: Foster a culture of peer-to-peer mentoring, where team members can learn from and support each other.

Gamification [69,70,71]

• Incorporate game mechanics into training: Use game mechanics such as points, badges, and leaderboards to motivate and engage participants in training activities.
• Create challenges and simulations: Design training challenges and simulations that mimic real-world teamwork scenarios, allowing participants to practice their skills in a safe and engaging environment.
• Provide rewards and recognition: Offer rewards and recognition for successful completion of training challenges and achievements, reinforcing positive behaviors and motivating continued learning.
• Use gamification to track progress and provide feedback: Utilize gamification elements to track individual and team progress during training, providing real-time feedback and encouraging continuous improvement.

4.5. Brief Comparison with Other Research

When we look at recent published work on the topic of teamwork [71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79], we can see that we agree on a number of fundamental themes, while adding relevant enrichment to the topic.

One of the most important aspects of teamwork is the ability of team members to work together to achieve a common goal. This requires team members to be able to communicate effectively, to share information and ideas, and to resolve conflict in a constructive way.

Another important aspect of teamwork is the ability of team members to adapt to change. This is especially important in today’s world, where change is constant and unpredictable. Teams that are able to adapt to change are more likely to be successful in achieving their goals.

Finally, it is important to recognize that teamwork is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges of teamwork is the potential for conflict. Conflict can arise when team members have different opinions, different goals, or different ways of working. If conflict is not managed effectively, it can lead to decreased team performance and even team failure.

Despite the challenges of teamwork, the benefits of teamwork are clear. Teams that are able to work together effectively can achieve goals that would be impossible for individuals to achieve alone. In addition, teamwork can lead to increased creativity, innovation, and learning.

Our research focuses on the sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level. It discusses the importance of teamwork for organizational success and the need for organizations to invest in teamwork training and development. It also highlights the importance of ICT tools for supporting teamwork and the need for organizations to carefully consider the social and cultural aspects of teamwork.

Overall, teamwork is an essential skill for success in today’s world. By understanding the foundations of teamwork and collaboration, we can build teams that are more effective, more productive, and more satisfying for all team members.

4.6. Limitations

The choice of the base set may have biased the findings and thus limited the relevance of the proposed research design. During the research, its object was primarily specified to IT organizations in Slovakia. Therefore, the findings obtained may not be applicable to all teams in different industries. To improve their applicability to project teams with similar workload, the findings were complemented and confronted with findings from organizations operating in other industries. The confrontation provided a broader perspective and showed that the main principles of team collaboration management are uniform with respect to the object of study.

It was unrealistic to examine the entire core set and therefore it became necessary to narrow it down to a sample set. The wide range of attributes and their complex interconnections contributed to the definition of qualitative interviews as a substantial or equivalent research method. The method obviously limited the possible number of organizations to be approached. Despite the application of the principle of saturation of findings, the selection of organizations for interviews may have led to a misunderstanding of the management of teamwork in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. To avoid this problem, the interviews were supplemented with other research methods to gain a broader view of the conditions in Slovakia and the world. The wide range of methods and the comparison of global trends with the conditions in Slovakia brought considerable complications in the unification of the obtained information and its evaluation. Due to the varying availability of information and the specific conditions of each organization studied, the situation could have been incorrectly assessed and the results distorted. In particular, the different availability of information and the specific conditions of the global organizations, in relation to the Slovak ones, brought complications to the research. However, the definition of global trends was essential for a proper understanding of the process of managing sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level and the creation of the proposed solution.

At the same time, the possibility of examining an object by multiple methods based on a single set of indicators is also confirmed by Disman [29]. In addition, he also gives a procedure on how to proceed in each situation. The lack of empirical verification of the proposed solution is also one of the limitations of the research in its current form. Feedback from the organizations that were involved in the primary research as well as from new organizations could have provided new insights and thus improved the validity and applicability of the proposed solution. The opportunity to observe the solution in practice while managing teams could have potentially defined problem areas of the proposed solution and thus contributed to its refinement. To minimize the given limitation and improve validity, efforts continue to be made to further empirically validate the research findings.

The definition of sub-processes, components, and their relationships contributed to the transformation of cultural and industry-specific elements of teamwork management. The created research system can be used for further investigation of the management of team cooperation at the organizational level, but at the same time it can also serve as a basis for the investigation of other levels of team cooperation.

Our research is primarily focuses on the ICT sector, but it also provides brief insights into teamwork practices in other industries, allowing for a comparative overview and broader applicability of the findings.

In the ICT sector, teamwork is often characterized by project-based structures, agile methodologies, and a high reliance on ICT tools for communication and collaboration. Virtual teams and remote work are also becoming increasingly common, necessitating the use of digital collaboration platforms and virtual communication channels.

The research also examines teamwork practices in other industries, such as the aviation and banking sectors. In the aviation industry, teamwork is critical for safety and operational efficiency, with a strong emphasis on standardized procedures, clear communication protocols, and hierarchical structures. In the banking sector, teamwork is essential for customer service, risk management, and achieving financial targets, with a focus on collaboration, communication, and building trust with clients.

While there are differences in teamwork practices across industries, the research also identifies common themes and principles that apply across sectors. These include the importance of clear goals, effective communication, trust, and a strong team culture for successful teamwork.

The findings, while focused on the ICT sector, can be applied to other industries by adapting the recommendations and strategies to the specific context and needs of each sector. For example, the principles of agile methodologies can be applied to various industries to improve flexibility and responsiveness, while the emphasis on trust and communication is relevant for all types of teams, regardless of their industry or structure.

By understanding the similarities and differences in teamwork practices across industries, organizations can learn from best practices in different sectors and tailor their teamwork strategies to achieve optimal performance and outcomes.

5. Conclusions

In addition to the set of recommendations in the discussions for the dilution of team cooperation at the organizational level, a brief set of recommendations for the implementation of the proposed solution was also developed. The recommendations serve as a guide for organizations to follow. The research found considerable interest in the issue of team cooperation and its improvement in the investigated organizations. The mentioned fact also reflects the willingness to devote attention and the necessary resources to the given activity.

The first step in implementing the proposal should be to create a project team at the organizational level of larger organizations or delegate the task to a management representative in the case of smaller organizations. The goal of authorized employees should be to analyze the current state of team cooperation management in organizations and subsequent adjustment of the process. Considering the principles of team cooperation, the team would not occupy the complete time capacities of the given members but would serve as support. It is important that responsibility is not simply delegated to employees lower in the hierarchical structure, but that the team also includes representatives of top management and middle management, who will represent managers responsible for coordinating multiple teams.

The research showed a significant willingness of organizations in Slovakia to invest in the education of their employees. However, direct training in teamwork is somewhat neglected. Rather, general training is supported, which affects the team cooperation process indirectly. Team cooperation is currently understood only intuitively, even at the organizational level. Employees at all levels assume that sustainable development of teamwork is very beneficial and should apply it, but they do not know how, because they do not understand its basic principles and ideas. Education in the issue should start at the organizational level, at which it is subsequently possible to create a complex management system for the given system, which will include the education system for other levels.

After creating a team and gaining sufficient insight into the issue, it is advisable for the organization to analyze its own current process of managing sustainable development of teamwork at the organizational level from start to finish.

Subsequently, the organization can use the research and suggestions provided to confront their current state with the proposed solution. Internal processes together with the complex situation of the organization create unique conditions for the implementation of the proposed solution. Research provides the most comprehensive view of the issue and thus brings as many interesting inspirations and views on the issue as possible. Not all recommendations and components of the model solution can be applied to the conditions of every organization. However, the basic principles of sustainable development of teamwork are universal and work the same in any team. The organization can therefore consider individual recommendations for managing team cooperation at the organizational level, but also their interconnection with the cumulative principle.

Primary research shows a considerable willingness in Slovakia to improve team management and to invest in this improvement. However, over-enthusiasm is often counterproductive, and the organization makes significant structural changes to the process, which are often taken from abroad without adjusting to national and individual conditions. In the cases, the components of team cooperation management are subsequently applied to groups that are not actually teams, or to failures and problems based on the unique conditions of the organization. Significant changes in the investigated process should be primarily verified in a smaller group, which ideally must actively cooperate and are coordinated by one manager. The test phase will thus better approximate the possible limitations of the organization.

Enthusiasm for process improvement can also have another negative impact, which is excessive intervention and control by the organization. When managing team cooperation and especially conceptual changes in the given process, it is necessary to proceed non-violently. The independence of teams and the sense of security of individual team members are important components of successfully building a positive team culture. Uniform rules are an important component of the process, but their purpose should be to level the playing field for all teams and help them become independent, not to control the day-to-day activities of each team.

Creating a positive team culture and improving the entire process of managing team cooperation at the organizational level are long-term activities. Many decisions must be adapted to individual conditions and changing circumstances. In order to properly set up the system, it is therefore necessary to constantly record feedback at all levels and gradually modify the entire process based on it. Individual teams, as well as managers, are the best source of information not only for discovering problem areas, but also for recording new ideas and routines. Small ideas recorded in one team can be applied to others and if they are accepted by other teams and become routines, they have a positive cumulative effect on the whole process.

Our research adds to the body of knowledge:

• Teamwork is prevalent: A high proportion of tasks are performed by teams, and many employees work within teams.
• Traditional management dominates: Team formation often prioritizes capacity over skills, and management often controls team systems.
• Communication relies heavily on traditional methods: Face-to-face meetings and phone calls are common, while the use of project management tools is limited.
• Training is often lacking: Many employees have not received recent teamwork training, and organizational support for team development is inconsistent.
• Internal competition among teams is discouraged: Organizations generally prioritize cooperation over competition between teams.

These findings provide valuable insights into the current state of teamwork in Slovakia, highlighting areas for improvement such as fostering organic team formation, enhancing communication through ICT tools, and investing in comprehensive teamwork training.