Читать книгу Team Management - Rus Slater - Страница 7

First of all, you need to be sure that you have a real team and not simply a group of people who have been put into the same room/organization/coloured shirt! Make sure you have a clear understanding of what a ‘team’ is from the outset.

There are several definitions for the word ‘team’, depending on different situations. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology defines a team as: ‘People working together in a committed way to achieve a common goal or mission. The work is interdependent and team members share responsibility and hold themselves accountable for attaining the results.’

Shorter definitions simply refer to a group of people and a common goal. Some definitions include interdependence of team members rather than the ability to function alone. Some add the requirement for team members to work cooperatively or harmoniously, defining the style of the interaction as well as the actuality. A team may be created for a specific task or it may have a longer lifespan. Some definitions include mutual accountability and responsibility for a team.

“I realised that I did not so much “lead a team” as preside over a bunch of egos”

Anonymous manager in the banking industry

From this you can see that although individual definitions of ‘team’ show some variation, there are some fairly universal concepts, which can be defined as:

• Teams have a common goal or purpose.

• Teams have more than one member.

• Teams have complementary skills and abilities.

• Teams work together.

So before you read any further in this book, ask yourself:

• “Do I have a group of people who all know that they actually belong to one team?” (Have you checked?)

• “Do they all have a common purpose that is clear, articulated and understood by all?” (Are you sure?)

• “Are they a group of people who have complementary skills and abilities?” (Or have they actually been bunched together because they all have the same skills and knowledge.)

• “Do they work together and depend on each other?” (Or do they just work in the same place, each doing their own thing?)

Don’t assume you have a team until you have common agreement that this group of people is a team.