What is a Team?

A team is a group of people coming together to collaborate. This collaboration is to reach a shared goal for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.  A group of people is not necessarily a team.  A team is a group of people with a high degree of interdependence geared towards the achievement of a common goal rather than just a group for administrative convenience. 

Effective teams develop rules of conduct to help them achieve their true purpose and performance goals. Some rules to consider:

·         attendance - no interruptions to take phone calls

·         discussion - no sacred cows

·         confidentiality - personal revelations must remain among the team

·         analytic approach - facts are friendly

·         constructive confrontation - no finger pointing

I’ve learned that truly effective team members are sincerely committed to each other's personal growth and success. That commitment usually transcends the team. A true team outperforms a group and outperforms all reasonable expectations given to its individual members. That is, a team has a synergistic effect—one plus one equals three (or more!).