The terms teamwork and collaboration are often used inter-changeably, but they do actually have different meanings. Both involve people working together to achieve a shared goal, but there are subtle differences.

In teamwork the team are working as individuals on different tasks which contribute to the outcome - think of a sports team with various positions and roles. There is a leader who delegates and directs and holds the team members accountable, and the individual team members don't necessarily have to get on with each other.

In collaboration individuals work collectively and there is no official permanent leader, they are equals. Collaborators think together, make decisions together and share the responsibility. They need to trust and respect each other and are invested in achieving their goal.

This LinkedIn Learning course by Prakash Raman explains the key processes and principles of collaboration.

This FutureLearn course from The University of Leeds Institute of Coding explores collaborative working in a remote team.

Please note: These courses have been approved by LinkedIn Learning and FutureLearn. They are not University of Birmingham courses and have not been reviewed by Careers Network.

NEXT: The value of teamwork ➜