Team

A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. Teams usually have members with different skills who help each other. When team members work well together, they can do more than they could alone.

Teams became popular in business in the late 20th century. Some people think teams are very helpful because they can make workers and managers happier. Others worry that teams might pressure people too much.

Today, the word "team" is used for many kinds of groups. For example, game players often form teams to improve their skills. Even transport leaders might choose teams of horses, dogs, or oxen to carry passengers or goods. Good teams talk to each other often and work well together.

Types

The idea of different types of teams is very important.

Social scientists have found that teams can be many different kinds. Teams can either help share information, or they can actually do the work themselves. Here are some common types of teams:

Action teams

Action teams are groups of people who can lead and make plans. They figure out what needs to be done and make it happen.

Advisory teams

Advisory teams give ideas to improve something. For example, a group that checks products on an assembly line might suggest ways to make the products better.

Command team

Command teams help manage and share instructions. They act like a middle step between leaders and workers. For example, messengers on a building site might carry instructions from the bosses to the workers.

Executive team

Executive teams make plans and guide activities. An example is a group that designs plans for a new building and then helps build it using those plans.

Project teams

Main article: Project team

Project teams are formed for a specific time and purpose. They might work on something like negotiating a deal or designing a new product. These teams have people with many different skills.

Sports teams

Main article: Sports team

Sports teams are groups of people who play sports together. This includes all players, even those waiting to play, as well as coaches and managers.

Virtual teams

Main article: Virtual team

Virtual teams are groups of people who work together using computers and the internet. Members can be from different places and rarely meet in person.

Work teams

Work teams actually make products or provide services. For example, workers on an assembly line or waiters at a restaurant are work teams.

One way to tell teams apart is whether they depend on each other or work more independently.

Interdependent teams

Interdependent teams need to work together to succeed. For example, in a rugby team, every player must work with others to win a game. Each player has a special job, and the whole team’s success depends on everyone working together.

Independent teams

Independent teams are made of people who do similar jobs on their own. For example, in track-and-field, each runner competes by themselves. Each person’s success depends mostly on their own efforts, though they might help each other in other ways.

In business, many teams like sales or professional services work this way.

Team size, composition, and formation

The size and makeup of a team can change how well it works. Some studies say the best team size is four people, while others think it could be between five and twelve, or just enough to share two pizzas! Researchers have looked at teams in two main ways. Some focus on the different jobs team members do, like leader or helper, and how these jobs help the team. Others study how to measure how well a team works, looking at things like team size and group rules.

Big teams can handle more problems but might not do a specific task as well. Teams with many similar members often work well together, but teams with diverse members might be more creative, though they can also have more disagreements. Team members usually have different roles, and large teams can split into smaller groups when needed. Teams often go through different stages, like getting to know each other, facing challenges, setting rules, working well together, and finally finishing up.

Team cognition

Team cognition is like a special way that teams think together. It describes how important knowledge is shared and organized among team members. This way of thinking can happen in two main ways. One way is when each person's thinking is very similar to how the whole team thinks. The other way happens when team members work together in a more connected way, creating something new as a team.

Researchers study how teams build shared ideas and memory systems. Shared ideas help team members understand the same goals and tasks. Memory systems help team members know who has what information and how to work together using that knowledge. When teams think well together, it can help them work better and achieve their goals. Team thinking includes knowing about the team's tasks and resources, as well as how the team members depend on each other.

Team effectiveness

Sometimes, companies that are having trouble try to fix things by creating teams. But just putting people into teams doesn’t always solve problems—it can sometimes make things worse. Teams work best for jobs that are hard, complicated, and very important, things that one person can’t handle alone. However, simply forming a team doesn’t guarantee success. For teams to do well, they need careful planning and support.

Organizations need to think carefully about how they build and support teams. Team members often need training to work well together, even if they are very talented. Working in a team can be challenging and requires good communication and coordination. Research shows that training can help teams perform better. For example, when General Motors and Toyota worked together at the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc (NUMMI) plant, they created a successful team environment by changing how management and workers supported each other, leading to better results.

Not all groups are teams

Sometimes people call any group of people a "team," like calling workers a "sales team." But a true team is different. Teams grow and change in four important ways: first, they depend on a leader; next, they may argue about goals; then, they learn to trust each other; and finally, they work together well.

Teams can also be more independent than other groups. Some teams make all their own decisions, while others follow a leader's instructions. What makes a team special is that together, they do more than each person could alone. A team's success comes from everyone working together, not just each person doing their own part.

Leadership

When people work together as a team, everyone shares the work and helps each other. Each person in the team takes on part of the leadership and responsibility. Team members help each other see their strengths and how they fit together.

Teams set clear goals and decide together how to reach them. The leader helps guide the team in making decisions and planning steps to achieve these goals. Sometimes the team may need to act right away, like getting training or working more closely together. Other times, they might watch a situation for a while before deciding what to do.

A good leader helps the team improve by asking for feedback and looking for ways to get better. Teams work best when they share ideas and support each other.

Teams don’t need a leader who tries to control everything. Instead, they benefit from leaders who inspire, encourage new ideas, and understand each team member’s strengths. These leaders help the team grow and succeed together.