Sometimes, the only way to create change is to increase your numbers and work together with other people, even if you don’t normally agree on everything.
But is there a word for setting aside your differences and working together to achieve a common aim?
In this article, we’ll show you what to call people who unite for a common interest, so read on!
What Is It Called When You Work Together Towards a Common Goal?
- Coalition
- Team
- Association
- Coterie
- Union
- League
- Association
- Club
- Interest group
- Taskforce
- Organization
- Collaboration
- Cooperation
- Synergy
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A “team” is a common term for a group of people working together to achieve some shared goal.
- A “coalition” is a temporary alliance between groups or people to overcome a shared political problem or to pursue a shared social interest.
- An “association” is a group of people, usually volunteers, who are working together for the benefit of their community.
Don’t go anywhere! We still need to discuss our top three terms for working together towards a common goal in more detail.
Thereafter, we’ll show you some example sentences illustrating how to use our choices in practice.
Team
The most common word for working together to achieve a common goal is to work as a “team.”
The Cambridge Dictionary states that the word “team” is “used in a number of phrases that refer to people working together as a group in order to achieve something.”
This makes the word “team” the most direct synonym for “working together towards a common goal.”
The word “team” usually has very positive connotations and creates an image of cooperation, unity, and even friendship between people.
You may call your colleagues at work your “team” members, and the word “team” also applies in sports and many other contexts.
Essentially, if ever people are joining forces for a common aim, they have formed a team of some kind.
Thus, have a look at how we’ve used this term in some examples:
Morgan and I are a team, and I won’t agree to anything without him present.
I would like to invite you to meet with my team so that we can come up with a proposal that suits all of us equally.
Coalition
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a “coalition” is “a group formed of different organizations or people who agree to act together, usually temporarily, to achieve something.”
Oftentimes, political or government organizations may come together to solve a common issue between them.
The same can occur when separate groups of people or different organizations share a common goal or a common concern.
Therefore, a “coalition” is a good word to describe a temporary alliance between two or more groups.
The word “coalition” has fairly neutral connotations. It comes from the Latin term coalitus meaning “fellowship,” and you will generally use it in respect of common pursuits for political change.
Therefore, let’s see how we can use this term in a couple of example sentences:
Smaller political parties have decided to form a coalition against the reigning party in order to increase pressure against the regime.
The president has engaged in a series of negotiations with the coalition, but we have yet to hear whether a deal has been struck.
Association
An “association” is “a group of people who work together in a single organization for a particular purpose,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
This makes it a great term for when a group of people is working together to bring about some social change, particularly for the benefit of a particular geographic area.
“Association” is a rather formal term, as it usually applies to an organization that is legally recognized as a group acting for a common interest.
Furthermore, “associations” are usually made up of volunteers with a shared interest.
For example, an “association” could be a housing association, a trade union, or an environmental group.
Finally, check out some example sentences that include this term:
A number of professors from the science department decided to form a research association in order to study the topic more closely.
We will be joining the workers’ association in hopes that our interests will be better represented.