Effective Characteristics of a Team
When we think of teams often our minds go to one type or another based on the concept of our personal experiences. Some people automatically think of a sports team while others think of a work team. No matter what the context of the team is, there are some essential characteristics that make a team effective.
An effective team should consist of a group of individuals from different backgrounds and with different skill sets—diversity ¹. The one thing that should be avoided is putting several people on the same team that has the same skill sets.
Think of a baseball team, when is it most effective? The answer—when you have someone who is good at each position. Imagine if the majority of the team were only good at being a catcher! The team would be a mess.
Utility players or generalists are also a good addition to a team. Often times there are those team members that are just good at doing a little bit of everything. Allow them to fill the gaps where and when they are needed.
An effective team should be centered around a shared purpose which will lead to team loyalty and cohesion ¹. When a team is focused on winning or hitting a particular goal it is easier for them to remain loyal to the “cause” and work together on their shared vision and purpose.
Group cohesion can also be increased when the group shares personal experiences, makes their work fun, or they have an outing together. Sometimes work isn’t just about working. A team that works and plays together is a much more effective team.
A key element of an effective team is trust. Team members need to be able to rely upon each other in order to be an effective unit ¹. They need to know that their team members will do what they agreed to do and that they will be where they said they will be when they said they will be there.
Without trust, you will see a lot of individual projects rather than a combined focus on the “big” project.
Authors Stephen Covey and Rebecca Merrill in “The Speed of Trust” say that trust is paramount for the financial success of an organization and that without it a disaster is looming ².
Synergy—the power of a team working together to create something much bigger than themselves is a fundamental characteristic of an effective team ¹.
Going back to the baseball concept. We have all seen examples of the one player that is solely focused on improving their stats so they are always swinging for the fences and not focusing on what they need to do in the moment for the team. This would be an appropriate time for the coach or manager to intervene and refocus the player on the bigger picture (maybe it’s a bunt or a fly ball that is needed to move the other player’s into a scoring position).
Team cohesion and the synergy created from focusing on the big picture leads to long-term results while individual focus leads to momentary gains and a lack of trust.
Does an effective team concern itself more with fairness or equality? Brewer and Westerman contend that it is fairness that wins the day. Rather than team members being treated “equitably” across the board with no consideration of each situation, team members who are treated fairly see other team members and the organization as treating each situation with the care and concern that it deserves ¹.
When team members are treated fairly, it will lead to higher productivity from the team ¹. There are no “free-loaders” and everyone pulls their weight on the team.
The final component of an effective team is feedback and learning ¹. Feedback is crucial to the ongoing and continuing success of any team situation.
Team members have to feel comfortable in giving needed feedback whether it is positive or negative. This leads back to the prior point of trust. Team members who trust each other will feel secure in giving honest and needed feedback.
What the team does with the feedback they receive will determine the future success of the team and the project. Feedback without proper evaluation and learning is useless. Allow the team to process the feedback and then turn it into meaningful progress.
While the order of the effective characteristics of a team are unimportant, the need for each of the components is crucial to the success of the team. Teams are most effective when they are working together as a single unit with synergy and enthusiasm focusing on a shared purpose or goal while seeking feedback and learning for high-performance results.
References:
¹ Brewer, E. C., & Westerman, J. (2018). Organizational Communication: Today’s
Professional Life in Context (1st ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
² 12min Team. (2017, September 17). The Speed of Trust. Retrieved June 2, 2020, from
https://blog.12min.com/the-speed-of-trust-summary/