The Discipline of Teams

The Discipline of Teams SYNOPSIS

Groups don't become teams because that is what someone calls them. Nor do teamwork values by themselves ensure team performance. So what is a team? How can managers know when the team option makes sense and what they can do to ensure team success? In this article, Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith answer these questions and outline the discipline that makes a real team. “A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable” Katzenbach and Smith discuss the four elements - common commitment and purpose, performance goals, complementary skills, and mutual accountability - that make teams function. The essence of a team is shared commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals & with it they become a powerful unit of collective performance. The best teams invest a tremendous amount of time shaping a purpose that they can own. The best teams also translate their purpose into specific performance goals. And members of successful teams pitch in and become accountable with and to their teammates. The fundamental distinction between teams and other forms of working groups turns on performance. A working group relies on the individual contributions of its members for group performance. But a team strives for something greater than its members could achieve individually. In short, an effective team is always worth more than the sum of its parts. Authors, Katzenbach and Smith have an interesting perspective on high performance teams. The authors studied team work across several companies spanning tough business environments and work challenges. Their findings expose the below factors that stimulate high performance in teams. 1. Establish urgency, demanding performance standards, and direction The more urgent and meaningful the rationale, the more likely it is that the team will live up to its...