A team at work A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose.

Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks. A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team. Teams normally have members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize his or her strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses. Team members need to learn how to help one another, help other team members realize their true potential, and create an environment that allows everyone to go beyond their limitations.[1] Thus teams of sports players can form (and re-form) to practice their craft. Transport logistics executives can select teams of horses, dogs or oxen for the purpose of conveying goods. Theorists in business in the late 20th century popularized the concept of constructing teams. Differing opinions exist on the efficacy of this new management fad. Some see "team" as a fourletter word: overused and under-useful. Others see it as a panacea that finally realizes the human relations movement's desire to integrate what that movement perceives as best for workers and as best for managers. Still others believe in the effectiveness of teams, but also see them as dangerous because of the potential for exploiting workers in that team effectiveness can rely on peer pressure and peer surveillance. Compare the more structured/skilled concept of a crew, and the advantages of formal and informal partnerships.

Team size, composition, and formation

Team size and composition affect the team processes and outcomes. The optimal size (and composition) of teams is debated and will vary depending on the task at hand. At least one study of problem-solving in groups showed an optimal size of groups at four members. Other works estimate the optimal size between 5-12 members.[citation needed] Fewer than 5 members results in decreased perspectives and diminished creativity. Membership in excess of 12 results in increased conflict and greater potential of sub-groups forming. David Cooperrider suggests that the larger the group, the better. This is because a larger group is able to address concerns of the whole system. So while a large team may be ineffective at performing a given task, Cooperider says that the relevance of that task should be considered, because determining whether the team is effective first requires identifying what needs to be accomplished. Regarding composition, all teams will have an element of homogeneity and heterogeneity. The more homogeneous the group, the more cohesive it will be. The more heterogeneous the group,

the greater the differences in perspective and increased potential for creativity, but also the greater potential for conflict. Team members normally have different roles, like team leader and agents. Large teams can divide into sub-teams according to need. Many teams go through a life-cycle of stages, identified by Bruce Tuckman as: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.

[edit] Types of teams

[edit] Independent and interdependent teams

A rugby union scrum Of particular importance is the concept of different types of teams. A distinction is usually drawn between "independent" and "interdependent" teams. To continue the sports team example, a rugby team is clearly an interdependent team:

successful play requires co-operation between team members within that team members typically specialize in different tasks (running the ball, goal kicking & scrum feeding), and the success of every individual is inextricably bound to the success of the whole team. No Rugby player, no matter how talented, has ever won a game by playing alone.

On the other hand, a chess team is a classic example of an independent team:

matches are played and won by individuals or partners, every person performs basically the same actions, and whether one player wins or loses has no direct effect on the performance of the next player. If all team members each perform the same basic tasks, such as students working problems in a math class, or outside sales employees making phone calls, then it is likely that this team is an independent team. They may be able to help each other perhaps by offering advice or practice time, by providing moral support, or by helping in the background during a busy time but each individual's success is primarily due to each individual's own efforts. Chess players do not win their own matches merely because the

rest of their teammates did, and math students do not pass tests merely because their neighbors know how to solve the equations. Coaching an "interdependent" team like a football team necessarily requires a different approach from coaching an "independent" team because the costs and benefits to individual team members and therefore the intrinsic incentives for positive team behaviors are very different. An interdependent team benefits from getting to know the other team members socially, from developing trust in each other, and from conquering artificial challenges (such as offered in outdoors ropes courses). Independent teams typically view these activities as unimportant, emotion-driven time wasters. They benefit from more intellectual, job-related training. The best way to start improving the functioning of an independent team is often a single question, "What does everyone need to do a better job?"

[edit] Self-managed teams

Normally, a manager acts as the team leader and is responsible for defining the goals, methods, and functioning of the team. However, interdependencies and conflicts between different parts of an organization may not be best addressed by hierarchical models of control. Self-managed teams use clear boundaries to create the freedom and responsibility to accomplish tasks in an efficient manner.[2] The main idea of the self-managed team is that the leader does not operate with positional authority. In a traditional management role, the manager is responsible for providing instruction, conducting communication, developing plans, giving orders, and disciplining and rewarding employees, and making decisions by virtue of his or her position. In this organizational model, the manager delegates specific responsibility and decision-making authority to the team itself, in the hope that the group will make better decisions than any individual. Neither a manager nor the team leader make independent decisions in the delegated responsibility area. Decisions are typically made by consensus in successful self-managed teams, by voting in very large or formal teams, and by hectoring and bullying in unsuccessful teams. The team as a whole is accountable for the outcome of its decisions and actions. Self-managed teams operate in many organizations to manage complex projects involving research, design, process improvement, and even systemic issue resolution, particularly for cross-department projects involving people of similar seniority levels. While the internal leadership style in a self-managed team is distinct from traditional leadership and operates to neutralize the issues often associated with traditional leadership models, a self-managed team still needs support from senior management to operate well. Self-managed teams may be interdependent or independent. Of course, merely calling a group of people a self-managed team does not make them either a team or self-managed. As a self-managed team develops successfully, more and more areas of responsibility can be delegated, and the team members can come to rely on each other in a meaningful way.[1]

[edit] Project teams

A team used only for a defined period of time and for a separate, concretely definable purpose, often becomes known as a project team. Managers commonly label groups of people as a "team" based on having a common function. Members of these teams might belong to different groups, but receive assignment to activities for the same project, thereby allowing outsiders to view them as a single unit. In this way, setting up a team allegedly facilitates the creation, tracking and assignment of a group of people based on the project in hand. The use of the "team" label in this instance often has no relationship to whether the employees are working as a team.

[edit] Sports teams

A sports team is a group of people which play a sport together. Members include all players (even those who are waiting their turn to play) as well as support members such as a team manager or coach.

[edit] Virtual teams

Developments in communications technologies have seen the emergence of the virtual work team. A virtual team is a group of people who work interdependently and with shared purpose across space, time, and organisation boundaries using technology to communicate and collaborate. Virtual team members can be located across a country or across the world, rarely meet face-to-face, and include members from different cultures[3]. Many virtual teams are crossfunctional and emphasise solving customer problems or generating new work processes. The United States Labour Department reported that in 2001, 19 million people worked from home online or from another location, and that by the end of 2002, over 100 million people world-wide would be working outside traditional offices (Pearlson & Sounders, 2001).

[edit] Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams

Teams, such as in medical fields, may be interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary.[4] Multidisciplinary teams involve several professionals who independently treat various issues a patient may have, focusing on the issues in which they specialize. The problems that are being treated may or may not relate to other issues being addressed by individual team members. Interdisciplinary team approach involves all members of the team working together towards the same goal. In an interdisciplinary team approach, there can often be role blending by members of the core team, who may take on tasks usually filled by other team members.[4]

[edit] Not all groups are teams

Some people also use the word "team" when they mean "employees." A "sales team" is a common example of this loose or perhaps euphemistic usage, though interdependencies exist in organisations, and a sales team can be let down by poor performance on other parts of the organisation upon which sales depend, like delivery, after-sales service, etc.. However "sales staff" is a more precise description of the typical arrangement.

[edit] From Groups to Teams

Groups develop into teams in four stages. The four stages are: dependency and inclusion, counterdependency and fighting, trust and structure, and work. In the first stage, group development is characterized by members' dependency on the designated leader. In the second stage, the group seeks to free itself from its dependence on the leader and groups have conflicts about goals and procedures. In the third stage, the group manages to work through the conflicts. And in the last stage, groups focus on team productivity. [5] For other uses, see Teamwork (disambiguation). Teamwork is work performed by a team. The quality of teamwork may be measured by analysing the effectiveness of the collaboration in the following ways:[1] 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. communication coordination balance of contributions mutual support effort cohesion

Accounting techniques may be used to provide financial measures of the benefits of teamwork which are useful for justifying the concept in a business setting.[2]

What is Teamwork? Teamwork is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as "a joint action by a group of people, in which each person subordinates his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of the group." This does not mean that the individual is no longer important; however, it does mean that effective and efficient teamwork goes beyond individual accomplishments. The most effective teamwork is produced when all the individuals involved harmonize their contributions and work towards a common goal. Characteristics of Effective Teams. The following are eight characteristics of effective teams the were identified by Larson and LaFasto in their book titled Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong (Sage Publications 1989). 1. The team must have a clear goal. Avoid fuzzy, motherhood statements. Team goals should call for a specific performance objective, expressed so concisely that everyone knows when the objective has been met.

2. The team must have a results-driven structure. The team should be allowed to operate in a manner that produces results. It is often best to allow the team to develop the structure. 3. The team must have competent team members. In the education setting this can be take to mean that the problem given to the team should be one that the members can tackle given their level of knowledge. 4. The team must have unified commitment. This doesn't mean that team members must agree on everything. It means that all individuals must be directing their efforts towards the goal. If an individual's efforts is going purely towards personal goals, then the team will confront this and resolve the problem. 5. The team must have a collaborative climate. It is a climate of trust produced by honest, open, consistent and respectful behavior. With this climate teams perform well...without it, they fail. 6. The team must have high standards that are understood by all. Team members must know what is expected of them individually and collectively. Vague statements such as "positive attitude" and "demonstrated effort" are not good enough. 7. The team must receive external support and encouragement. Encouragement and praise works just as well in motivating teams as it does with individuals. 8. The team must have principled leadership. Teams usually need someone to lead the effort. Team members must know that the team leader has the position because they have good leadership skills and are working for the good of the team. The team members will be less supportive if they feel that the team leader is putting him/herself above the team, achieving personal recognition or otherwise benefiting from the position. Stages of Team Growth. It is important for teacher and students (the team members) to know that teams don't just form and immediately start working together to accomplish great things. There are actually stages of team growth and teams must be given time to work through the stages and become effective. Team growth can be separated into four stages. Stage 1: Forming. When a team is forming, members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior. They search for their position within the group and test the leader's guidance. It is normal for little team progress to occur during this stage. Stage 2: Storming. Storming is probably the most difficult stage for the group. Members often become impatient about the lack of progress, but are still inexperienced with working as a team. Members may argue about the actions they should take because they faced with ideas that are unfamiliar to them and put them outside their comfort zones. Much of their energy is focused on each other instead of achieving the goal. Stage 3. Norming. During this stage team members accept the team and begin to reconcile differences. Emotional conflict is reduced as relationships become more cooperative. The team is able to concentrate more on their work and start to make significant progress.

Stage 4. Performing. By this stage the team members have discovered and accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses, and learned what their roles are. Members are open and trusting and many good ideas are produced because they are not afraid to offer ideas and suggestions. They are comfortable using decision making tools to evaluate the ideas, prioritize tasks and solve problems. Much is accomplished and team satisfaction and loyalty is high. Since working as part of a team can improve learning and is a much needed skill in today's workplace, some team exercises should be included in the classroom. With well planned out tasks, careful guidance, and close observation, instructors can make team exercises extremely valuable learning experiences.

"Lot of teamwork and little room for privacy" Shinsei Bank's Dhananjaya Dvivedi finds Tokyo a society that values discipline and organisational efficiency by Forbes India | Oct 3, 2009 Email | Print | Share | Comment (2)

A A W here I was born and what I am today symbolises the change that the world has undergone in the last 63 years of my life. I grew up in Gwalior, studied Sanskrit and finished engineering in 1969. A chance trip to Mumbai opened up a new world. It took me to Crompton Greaves and L&T, then Citibank and finally Shinsei Bank. I have worked in more than 15 cities in virtually every part of the world over the four decade career span. From a young boy who didnt know what a computer was, today I am the CIO [chief information officer] of Tokyo-headquartered Shinsei Bank. I helped Shinsei Bank script its comeback using Internet and low-cost technology, including the creation of a new retail bank that offers free 24-hour ATMs and a host of other tech-led benefits, a rarity in Japan then [in 2000].

In a conventional sense, I do not live in Tokyo and I mostly manage things virtually. I have lived in Tokyo with my family at two different points in time 1990-94 and 2000-05. Now, I spend an average of seven days a month in the city. Tokyo is perhaps the most advanced place on Earth and I say it after living in and seeing many cities. Everything seems perfect and works like clockwork. Streets and lights are perfectly painted and clean. It is a land-scarce city where every available inch has been developed. You cant buy a car unless you get a certificate from the police proving you have a parking space. And parking is expensive $6 an hour.

I am aware that I am always going to be a foreigner, an outsider, and accepting that fact helps me adjust and make myself relevant wherever I am Related

While Japan is an expensive place, it is also highly efficient and there is a high value placed Shinsei Bank set to start Indian on quality. There is an emphasis on recycling mutual fund... which I think reflects the severity of the natural environment it is a country prone to earthquakes, typhoons and tsunami. Organisational efficiency, parsimony and a dedication to quality all contribute to a high standard of living. When I first moved here from Zurich, Switzerland, in December 1989, Japan was in the middle of a big economic bubble. In Zurich, I lived in a very beautiful apartment in the mountains in a city that had perhaps 350,000 people. Then I moved to Tokyo, a massive, expensive city with over 10 million people. For my two daughters, moving from Europe, the culture shock was dramatic. In Zurich, school was barely 20 minutes away. In Tokyo, the commute was long, 75 minutes by bus, and if you missed the bus, you missed school. In the first week in class they struggled, rather than outdoor or cultural activities, the emphasis was on maths and grammar. Japan is a society which values discipline and organisation. You have to do everything yourself, even the kids. For example, we werent allowed to drop our children to school. Children from the neighbourhood congregated and then went to the train station unescorted. For this to be possible there have to be good traffic and law and order conditions and Japanese pay attention to create that environment. My daughters would often leave their rucksacks on the train. Yet, without fail, the rucksacks would be handed in and make their way to the lost-and-found centre in the station. Language was a problem but we are used to it, having lived and worked in so many cities speaking different languages. In Europe, I was doing business with countries outside London in so many languages. So, while I can manage a bit of German and Arabic, and speak enough Japanese to get by, when it comes to business, for me it must always be done in English through interpreters. In terms of work, Japan is a world apart from Europe. In Switzerland, for example, no one

worked after 6 p.m. and after 11 p.m. you had to get permission from the police. But in Japan, its not uncommon for people to work regularly until 9 p.m. The work culture here is very different. There is a lot of team work and little room for privacy. For example, in the office, team members and supervisors sit opposite each other and there is no partition in between. So, supervisors and team members will always know what the other is doing. In Japan, a one or two hour commute by train is normal. Late in the evening, the train frequency drops from every two minutes to every 30 minutes. So, the custom is that you work in the office and meet colleagues socially outside the office over a glass of beer; people dont go to each others house. In India, you will find street corners like chai-paan shops where people congregate and chat. In Japan, you will never find that there is emphasis on meeting people in the right context. I think Japanese typically have a long-term perspective for virtually everything even in relationships. Rules to work and survive in Tokyo? The key, wherever you are, is to focus on the people. Switzerland, the US, Japan all are radically different places. If you focus on people, however, deep inside, they are the same, with similar fears and similar aspirations. Once you understand that, you can learn to live, do business and make personal connections anywhere in the world. Thats something I think my family and I have learnt. At my elder daughters wedding, which we held in Albany, New York, a great number of the guests had travelled all the way from Switzerland and Japan to be there.

Competency: Teamwork
Definition: Collaborating and cooperating to get the job done. Team Member Indicators 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Values the input and know-how of other team members Asks for help, when needed Offers help to other team members, when needed Builds trust and respect among fellow team members Takes actions that demonstrate consideration for the feelings and needs of others Works with other team members toward a common goal

Team Leader Indicators 1. Communicates a clear vision of team goals and objectives 2. Creates an environment in which team members share both risks and rewards 3. Focuses the team's efforts on both the process and desired outcomes

4. What are the main behavioral competencies

5.

6. Determining behavioral competencies of potential candidates increases the chance of hiring the right employee. Behavioral competencies are the character traits and behavior qualities of an individual. They will have a great impact on how successful the individual will be at his job. 7. Behavioral competencies allow employers to learn about an applicants knowledge, ability and skills. 8. They can be a predictor of future work performance. 9. You should define the behavioral competencies you are looking for in the right employee to fill the position. This way you will be more focused when recruiting. Once you know the behavioral competencies you want, you can structure your interview questions to learn more about the interviewee. 10. 11. The behavioral competencies you will be looking for will depend on the type of job position you are seeking to fill. 12. Here are the definitions of some common behavioral competencies employers look for in their candidate. 13.

14.

Communication and motivation abilities:

15. These skills are especially important for sales careers. Effective communication abilities are also very important in a business environment. Communicating effectively may require oral or verbal communication skills. Written communication skills may involve writing letters, creating reports, etc. Oral communication abilities involve effectively communicating with customers, clients and peers. 16.

17.

Leadership skills:

18. These skills are a persons ability to lead and motivate a team of people to perform the required tasks. This is an important behavioral competency for someone applying for a managerial position. Leadership qualities include being assertive and handling disputes. 19.

20.

Teamwork:

21. Teamwork behavioral competencies will include how the individual works in a team environment. Working in a team environment can sometimes slow down productivity, for example through social loafing. A good team player must be willing and able to communicate their ideas effectively to team and must not disrupt the team a great deal. He must be productive in a team environment and work well with others.

22. 23.

Decision making:

24. This behavioral competency can also be important for a candidate to possess. Making the right decisions under pressure is very important for the success of any business. 25.

26.

Analytical ability:

27. This behavioral competency is about a persons ability to solve problems. Businesses have to face different problems arising from time to time. Therefore employers want to

hire individuals who have initiative and can analyze the situation on their own and find feasible business solutions. 28.

29.

Adaptability:

30. This behavioral competency is an important trait in the volatile and dynamic world of business. Flexibility and adaptability involves a persons ability to work with the situation he finds himself in. 31. 32. Increasingly employers are turning to career and aptitude tests to determine an individuals behavioral competencies. These tests are usually delivered during an interview and the results are used to match an employee with a job position. This way both the employee and the employer will be in a happier, more productive work environment. 33.