
Their strengths lie in sharing information with the team and making sure every aspect of a project is taken care of. You’ll never have to worry about a task getting completed when you have a Contributor on your team. In the book Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration, Parker proposes there are four different types of team players: 1. (If you are interested in the survey, you can access it here or in the resource section at the end of Parker’s book.) Source: iStock So how do you know which type of player you are? Fortunately, Parker developed a survey, called The Parker Team Player Survey, to assist employees with identifying their unique way of collaborating in a group setting. It involves the active creation and exchange of new ideas delivered through different work styles. Each employee brings different gifts and talents to the table in an effort to achieve a common goal. Parker says being an effective player on a work team means much more than just getting a job done. However, effective team collaboration does not have to be unpleasant grunt work, but rather a celebration of the potpourri of talents that exist within an organization. Generally, the widely held view is that being a team player is a one-size-fits-all label, and that it means sacrificing for the greater good of the organization, complaining very little, and being a “good soldier.” Consequently, the phrase, “taking one for the team,” has a negative connotation.

Each member of a work team has a unique way of contributing to the organization’s overall goal. But what you may not know is there are different types of team players.
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Workers are often told that employers are looking for employees who know how to be a good team player.
