There is no ‘I’ in ‘T-E-A-M’. Teams are made up of people with complementary skills, committed to a common purpose and performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. They may be established ad hoc as project teams or as more permanent work groups. Although most teams can outperform individual people, it’s the ‘people issues’ that cause most of the problems. So when you believe a team is required in your workplace, you’ll need to consider the guidelines elaborated upon in our eight-page e-Topic: How to form work teams…

1. Establish clear, achievable goals.
2. Set a clear plan.
3. Define roles clearly.
4. Insist on clear communication.
5. Encourage team behaviors.
6. Agree on decision-making procedures.
7. Increase awareness of group processes.
8. Expect participation.
9. Establish ground rules.
10. Insist on the best available information.

The e-Topic concludes with a wealth of useful hints, advice, anecdotes and inspiration to help the reader better understand and implement the core material presented.

Do you want a brief fragment from the wealth of practical advice in this e-Topic?
“In an effective team, team spirit has to be created so that the members work for the benefit of the group. To achieve its task the group needs each member, and so it is in the interests of the group to develop the skills of each member…Good individuals do not automatically make a good team until they learn to operate as one.”

Simple, step-by-step solutions to your management problems and issues – that’s the aim of our e-Topics series. For busy managers, it’s literally management2go!