Word for working together as one

We are often put in situations throughout our time as a student or employees, where we are “working together towards a common goal”. However, are there alternate terms for saying that we are “working together towards a common goal”, as opposed to using an entire phrase?

Which Words Can Describe Working Together Towards A Common Goal?

“Working together towards a common goal” can be a difficult, yet very rewarding, thing to do. Because of this, it is important that we choose the appropriate and applicable term to define such an act of comradery. For the purposes of this article, we will look at the following terms:

• Team
• Union
• Coalition
• League
• Coterie
• Association
• Club
• Collaboration
• Synergy
• Cooperation

The preferred version or term that we will highlight is “team”. This is because the word “team” best embodies the meaning of “working together towards a common goal”. Being a part of a “team” is something that people often look forward to, making the work easier or fun.

Team

When we hear “team”, we often think of sports like football. However, a “team” can also exist in the classroom or the workplace. Cambridge Dictionary defines a “team” as a number of people who act together as a group, either in a sport or in order to achieve something.

Because of how closely a “team” works together to achieve a common goal, they often form very close bonds. This makes a “team”, often a special group of people to us.

Here are a few examples that correctly utilize this term:

• I’m heartbroken to be saying goodbye to my hockey team for the season.
• Our legal team is renowned for being one of the best in the country.
• A medical team must work incredibly fluidly and cohesively throughout the process of surgery.

Union

A “union” is often a term that is associated with the workplace or a club. However, a “union” can also be a synonym for the term marriage. Cambridge Dictionary actually defines a “union” as the act or state of being joined together.

Because of this, we often consider a group of people or a pair in a “union” to consistently be working together towards the same goals or outcomes.

We can look over the following examples that use this term, for further information:

• She believes that the union of two people should last until death and never wants to get a divorce as her parents did.
• The signing of the treaty marked a monumental milestone on the road to a European union.
• My husband works as a locomotive engineer and his company has a union to protect the employees’ rights.

Coalition

Another excellent term we can choose to use is “coalition”. Cambridge Dictionary defines a “coalition” as the joining together of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose, usually for a limited time, or a government that is formed in this way.

Therefore, we often see “coalitions” for together to defeat a common enemy or reach a common goal or outcome.

For additional clarification on this term, here are various examples:

• By forming a coalition, the Liberals and the New Democrats were able to defeat the Conservatives.
• By forming an international coalition, the countries were able to defeat the invading rebel alliance.
• The citizens, with all differing political views, set aside their differences and formed a coalition to overthrow the dictatorship.

League

A “league” is another term that we commonly refer to as a group of recreational sports players, gamers, etc. However, Cambridge Dictionary defines a “league” as a group of people or countries who join together because they have the same interest.

Because of this, we can also use the term “league” to define a group that comes together to reach a common goal.

We can now look over the following examples, that use this term in a sentence:

• The League of Nations was the first worldwide intergovernmental organization that’s principle reason for being founded and whose mission was to maintain world peace.
• He was the best hitter in the league, having scored more home runs than anyone else.
• Our team is ten points ahead of the second-place team in the league.

Coterie

A “coterie” is another wonderful alternative that we can choose to use, especially because it isn’t commonly used. Cambridge Dictionary defines “coterie” as a small group of people with shared interests, often one that does not want other people to join.

Because of this, we can often view a “coterie” as a clique or a small group of people with similar goals, but not wanting to expand to allow other people the opportunity to join.

Some examples that include this term are:

• She had a tight coterie of friends, that was often viewed as the mean girls in school.
• The coterie of writers would meet together every Tuesday evening to go over new ideas for their novels.
• He had a coterie of advisers that helped him get into school.

Association

An “association” is another great term we can use, as Cambridge Dictionary defines it as a group of people who work together in a single organization for a particular purpose. Because of this, an “association” will put forth the effort, closely and intricately to complete a common task.

An “association” is another group that may only be brought together for a short period of time, or it can become a lasting organization of people.

We can now look over the following examples that use this term:

• The National Association of Broadcasters is constantly posting updates on what is going on in Ukraine.
• Our college was affiliated and in association with the neighbouring university.
• The association is in the process of inviting new members to join, which generally takes a few months to complete.

Club

When we think of a “club”, we generally picture a group of people that gather over a shared hobby. Cambridge Dictionary defines a “club” as an organization of people with a common purpose or interest, who meet regularly and take part in shared activities.

Because of this, a “club” can be considered people that gather in order to share a common goal, like defeating a game.

Here are a few examples we can go over, that use this specific term in a sentence:

• In high school, we had a club devoted to anime lovers and people who wanted to learn more. It was a fantastically inclusive group of people.
• He recently joined the local golf club to meet new people and get back into shape.
• Visitors may only enter the premises when they are accompanied by a registered club member.

Collaboration

We can use the term “collaboration”, similarly to our other alternate terms. This is because Cambridge Dictionary defines “collaboration” as the situation of two or more people working together to create or achieve the same thing. This means that a “collaboration” often works on a common goal.

It’s important to note that most “collaborations” involve some form of impartial team leadership, in order to achieve their goal or purpose.

For clarity purposes, here are a few various examples that use this term:

• The two playwriters worked in close collaboration with the director in order to write and edit the script accordingly.
• We worked in collaboration on the song and entered it into the songwriting festival that is coming up next month.
• The building was designed by the collaboration of two competing architecture firms.

Synergy

Another somewhat uncommon alternative that we can choose to use is “synergy”. Cambridge Dictionary defines “synergy” as the combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.

The term “synergy” can also be applicable to a group of people that work and struggle together to complete a common task or achieve a goal.

We will now go over the following examples for the term “synergy”:

• Your teamwork on the project resulted in a cohesive synergy that was noted by the entire company – congratulations on your achievements.
• We achieved financial synergy when we melded our two companies into a single entity.
• A synergy was developed amongst the two students working on the project, despite their previous differences.

Cooperation

The last term that we will be going over for this article is “cooperation”. Cambridge Dictionary defines “cooperation” as the process of working with another company, organization, or country in order to achieve something or the act of working together with someone or doing something they ask you.

Because of this, we often see “cooperation” as a necessity to reaching or achieving a common goal.

Lastly, we will go over the following examples highlighting this particular term:

• This documentary was only made possible by the cooperation of the victims’ families. So, thank each and every one of you for sharing their stories.
• This treaty involved mass international cooperation to be achieved.
• We worked in cooperation with the rival school district, in order to create our anti-drinking and driving campaign and fundraiser.

What Does “A Common Goal” Mean?

A “common goal” is what gives a group of people a shared purpose, even if they have differing views, religions, etc. It encourages people to work together as a cohesive team, in order to achieve a result that will hopefully be able to benefit everyone participating.

“Common goals” often bring folks together, creating bonds over dedication and time spent together. This can even be true in terms of counties or nations working together to achieve a “common goal”.