The simple definition of a team is people in a group, coming together for the purpose of a goal which is common. There is no limitation to how small or large a team can be. You can describe any group of people as a team. But for the group to qualify to be called a team, they will need to fulfill the following requirements:
What Makes A Good Team? Members
- Should have identifiable roles which are very clear
- Should have a goal or purpose which is identifiable and clear
- Should have the resources and skills which are necessary to make them fulfill the above-mentioned purpose
- Should have clear leadership and reporting hierarchy.
So unless the group of people from a business perspective fulfills the above purpose, then it cannot be referred to as a team. Teams are normally composed of people who have complementary skills that are different. Their talent might differ, but they will come together to produce a result that is common – a touchdown.
In general, a team is where the whole sum is greater than the constituent parts
What Is Team Building?
In the perceived world, it is possible to get a bunch of people who are high performing and have them deliver results which are great. But in the actual world, it is hard for high performing individuals to translate to teams that are high performing.
There is some team member who ends up not getting along with others. There are those who find it hard to communicate their ideas in a clear way while some teams get extinct due to issues as far as leadership is concerned. The solution to all these is team building. Team building is all about people being managed. Any time which comprises of two relationship types, the relationship between individuals and that of individual team members and the whole team.
With team building, it defines and smoothens the relationships through mixed protocols, activities, and processes. The way an organization builds teams can be divided into two:
- Specific: It refers to tactics such as getting involved in team-building activities and games. This could be defined as active tactics.
- Process focused: It involves tactics such as being able to develop protocols for communication, using software for project management and many others. These could be summed up as tactics that are passive.
Organizations that are good when it comes to team building normally utilize team focused protocols and tools across the whole organization. They will then combine it with team building games that are targeted for individual teams.
The above could be described as a gist which is basic. But in actual sense, team building is a very complex and broad discipline that has ever-evolving and different approaches. Given the team’s centrality in the modern place of work, everyone from the management level and those with MBAs to the business academics and behavioral psychologists tend to have an interest in the whole process.