What is a Team?

A Group Working Better

There are a lot of work groups that call themselves teams but aren't really—and other groups that aren't called teams but really are! Researchers have proven that in most cases, turning a group of workers into a true, structured team can bring remarkable results. The definition of a team differs a bit among scientists, but here are some common elements:

• Small size, at least three and no more than 15 people.
• High levels of cooperation required for members to complete their work.
• A well-understood sense of purpose.
• A sense of accountability to each other.
• Formal agreements on team behaviors, procedures, and work processes.

These apply to any kind of team: permanent functional teams, cross-functional teams—those with people from different disciplines in the company—project teams, task forces, quality circles, and so on. The main alternative to a team has been called a "work group": that is, a group working on similar tasks and bound together by an organizational chart, but not having the characteristics of a team. In some situations, work groups are the most efficient type of organization. Examples include sales groups whose members compete with each other for bonuses or small law firms where each partner has a different specialty.

The Added Power of Empowerment

Research consistently shows that giving properly formed teams more control over their daily work in the right way greatly improves their measurable performance. The SuddenTeams™ Program from TeamTrainers gives a work group the team structure it needs to gain top performance levels. With the right organizational policies, groups can even become "self-managed teams" that take on the administrative tasks otherwise done by a team leader. They report as a group to an upper-level manager who does not take part in their work or meetings regularly.

What are the characteristics of a high performing team?