ELEMENTS OF A TEAM What is needed to make a team?

In teams some conditions are necessary to guarantee its correct function. The most important are the following:

COMMON OBJECTIVE

The teams establish the fixed goals between all of them, so they have clarified what to do, when and why.

RELAXED ATMOSPHERE

It is very important for the team that people who form part of it have a common goal, where communication is open and the atmosphere is relaxed and positive for everyone. It is evident that conflicts and disagreements will surface; in fact, sometimes they are necessary to achieve a fuller rapport among the team members. Nevertheless, these conflicts must be overcome. For this reason, in a team, the person leading must pay attention to the aspects that favor and allow the development of interpersonal relationships in the group.

COHESION AND TEAM SPIRIT

The goals achieved must be the result of the involvement of every member of the team. Collaboration makes it possible to resolve problems more easily and find quicker and more effective solutions. Team members must understand that working together they will reach their goal sooner and better than individually.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOALS

Every person integrating the team must know and share the goals and objectives of the team from the beginning. The work as well as the roles of each person involved in the process must be clearly defined.

TASK DELEGATION

Though it has been said previously that each person in the team must be clear about his/her role, it will also be necessary to delegate tasks whenever the situation requires it. People in the team need to be flexible and carry out different tasks with the aim of optimizing the coordination of individual efforts.

GOOD COMMUNICATION

Communication is the foundation of good teamwork; there needs to be open and sincere communication among the members of the team. Each person must have the freedom to express his/her opinion and feel that they are taken in account by others. In a good team, one can breathe in the air the freedom to express one’s opinions and acceptance by all in the group.


ADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK:

• More information: more contributions and differences, more creativity
• More resources to organize, delegate, coordinate and manage
• More alternatives: higher probability of finding solutions
• Security: Less objective risk in decision making
• Communication and comprehension: More direct communications and, consequently, a greater probability of improving understanding
• Motivation: A good opportunity to motivate, as there is greater participation in the decisions made
• Ownership and Acceptance: Increased probability of ownership and greater acceptance of objectives, strategies, organization, coordination and management

DISADVANTAGES:

• Conflict between personal interests and those of the group or the temptation of following one’s interests instead of the group’s
• Conflicts and disagreements: Greater probability of disagreements and specific conflicts; the risk of interpersonal, emotional conflict
• Pressure from the opinions of the person who leads the team: Greater pressure from leadership that may distort the information received by the group
• Over-evaluation of the group and a sense of omnipotence and invulnerability: An exaggerated sense of the high probability of success and insignificant possibilities of failure
• Closed Mentality and a sense of self-reliance accompanied by many stereotypes about other teams (or movements)
• Pressure from the group to conformity, unanimity, premature consensus and a rejection of dissent and criticism. Efforts are not directed toward the search for the best solution, but rather remain with those that have the greatest support or acceptance, inhibiting opposing opinions even to the point of diluting individual responsibility or personal judgment.