WHAT IS A TEAM?
A team is a group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable and interdependent.
A common purpose allows a team to build an identity, to give itself a direction. A common purpose gives a team an identity that extends beyond the sum of the individuals involved. A common purpose ensures stability through change and a means of overriding the potentially conflicting agendas of bureaucracy.
Performance goals help a team transform its common purpose into specific and measurable aims.
A common approach enables a team to sort out who will do a particular job, how schedules will be set and adhered to, what skills need to be developed, how the group will make decisions and when and how to modify the approach to ensure successful completion of the team's objectives.
Mutual accountability and interdependence mean that every team member is equally engaged in and responsible for accomplishing tasks and achieving goals.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE TEAM
A clear purpose
Appropriate leadership
Constructive climate
Commitment to the team
Clear roles and work assignments
Suitable membership
Effective work methods
Constructive criticism
Creative strength
Open communication
Organization's mission and mandate
Team learning
Sharing team responsibilities
Team effectiveness
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE TEAM?
Everyone knows what a team is. Everyone knows how to put a team together. Everyone selects the best available team. Everyone knows how to distribute the tasks to be done among the team members. But if it is all so obvious, why do some teams succeed where others fail?
The team comes together in an endeavour to produce a level of performance greater than that which can be produced by individuals working alone. The whole should be greater than the...