A team charter is an essential tool for any successful team. According to Dianna Mosher, a perfect team requires goals, communication, and "committing-in writing" to ground rules. It does not just happen. (2004, pg. 144) The team charter should provide a list of the team members and information about each member as well as an outline of the team goals, ground rules, and conflict management (see the Appendix for a complete team charter). The value of a team charter is evident in the successful operation of the team.
Learning Team Goals
Learning team goals set the expectations of the team. Goals give the team an idea of what they want to accomplish and how they are to accomplish it. In order for a team to be effective, each member must be dependable and the team goals should reflect that. A team Charter should include goals for project assignments and how the team is to complete them. Project assignments are broken into individual assignments and given to each member in order to complete the project. All projects are expected to be completed efficiently, in a timely manner, and with good quality. Each member must know that they can depend on one another if a problem arises in order to complete an assignment.
A team should strive to bring out the best in each member through encouragement and support. Remember that a team is comprised of people from different backgrounds and cultures. Various levels of work experiences and educational backgrounds add strengths to any team. Each member will add something to a team and each member will gain something. A single person can not make a successful team.
Each team member should be responsive to all communications. All relevant information is communicated in the form of an email or through a telephone conversation. Members are expected to respond as soon as possible. If a problem arises the team can discuss the problem and try to resolve the matter as a team. Conference
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