Tips for Forming Teams

THE DESIGN OF SELF-DIRECTED WORK TEAMS
　
Because the idea of "teamwork" is inherently appealing to most persons, the desire to create work teams has gained considerable popularity.
　　
Teams and teamwork are not the same thing.
　
Teamwork is cooperative behavior. Teams are a social structure. Teamwork can exist independent of teams. Leaders should not confuse wanting good cooperation and collaboration with the creation of teams. Organizations can have high levels of teamwork and no teams. Similarly, organizations can be filled with teams that exhibit few of the behaviors considered to be teamwork. Teams can become possessive, exclusive of outsiders, resistant to influence and information, and fractured by cliques.

A well designed team will promote teamwork among its members. A well designed organization will promote teamwork among its teams. Let's see what contributes to building strong teams.

Teams are established around seven key criteria.
　
Team members in a strongly linked team will:
1. Work together during the same time period.
2. Work together in the same physical area.
3. Retain the same membership for an extended length of time.
4. Operate/maintain/use the same technology.
5. Be jointly accountable for achieving common goals.
6. Act interdependently to achieve success.
7. Receive common consequences for achievement or failure.
　
It is not always possible for every team to possess all of these characteristics. To the extent that a team does not have these characteristics it is weakened. A team whose members are spread across three shifts may find it difficult to address a performance issue with a fellow team member who does not work with three-fourths of the team. Likewise, a team whose members are given individual performance rewards may maintain a "look out for myself" approach despite exhortations to practice teamwork. Teams with high levels of turnover never really gel.

If it is not possible to create teams following these guidelines, then teams are probably not a suitable organizational structure. Some organizations have tried to create teams of people with the same job description. The "secretarial team" is a good illustration. All the members work independently for separate leaders, are rewarded based on individual effort, have their own dedicated office equipment and may be dispersed in separate areas. While it is desirable to promote teamwork among the secretaries and to have them collaborate on common issues (e.g., phone coverage), calling them a team is a misnomer.