What are the characterisctics of effective teams?
Teamwork is characterized by having a sense of purpose to achieve a clear, specific goal that all members believe is important to attain. A team can be assigned to carry out a specific project, such as seeking ways to improve profitability in a small business. A team could also be assembled to find the right candidate for a job opening. All teams should consist of members who are capable of contributing to the achievement of the goal based on their level of knowledge or expertise. If a team is assigned the task of development of an expense budget, but one or more of the members has little or no budgeting experience, the whole team will suffer as a result. A successful team contains a spirit of cooperation. All members need to work together to achieve the specific goal. This can be difficult, especially if some members possess strong personalities or are highly opinionated. Successful teams tend to have strong leaders who can keep everybody on the same page while keeping the petty bickering to a minimum. Teams should also have a set of rules that determines its operating procedures. These rules help to keep the team on track and eliminate ambiguities. For example, a team might have a rule that all team members must agree on a decision before it can be implemented. This would require that the team deliberate, much in the way of a trial jury, until a consensus is reached.
How do roles, needs, and diversity affect teamwork? Provide specific examples.
When it comes to roles, each person has a role in the group. If a person is not following through or does not feel comfortable in their role as a leader or doing a certain part in contributing, this can cause problems within the group. Every time there is a new group with different goals and people, there are different needs within the group. If it is in a work setting compared to a school setting, there are different needs that could be addressed.