Building Successful Teams Team work, team building, team training -- in many companies today, the concept of the "team" has been in place for many years, but still gaining popularity. Most companies have teams, and most employees are part of a team in some form or another. But what exactly is a team? A team is a small number of people, with a set of performance goals and a commitment to a common purpose. They approach those goals by holding themselves mutually responsible. A team should be of manageable size and each team member should be committed to meeting the team's goals. When done with specific care and understanding of all of the working parts necessary for them to function, building teams can be one of the most important activities within an organization. So, how exactly does a company achieve successful team creation? Building Successful Teams What is the secret to building a successful team? There are many key factors an organization must consider when deciding to build teams. They include: setting clear goals, decision making authority, accountability and responsibility, effective leadership, training and development, resources, and reward and recognition. Clear Goals A successful team will be given specific goals to give them direction. This goal should state the end, rather than the means, giving the team the freedom to work out how to best achieve the goal. Decision Making Authority Teams require decision making authority and, therefore, a certain level of empowerment in order to carry out their work efficiently. Without this authority they would need to get approval for their ideas and these ideas may be rejected before they are either proven or not proven. For innovation to occur, teams must be allowed to experiment. However, to avoid costly mistakes, it is appropriate to give teams this authority within certain boundaries. Accountability and Responsibility If teams are given decision making authority, they must also be prepared to be accountable for their actions. Teams should monitor their own performance. If goals are not being met and satisfaction is low, then the team must adjust their approach and method. Effective Leadership Managers and supervisors who become team leaders experience a significant change of role. Team leaders work more as coaches rather than directly controlling the work. They will need effective communication, leadership and consulting skills in order to be good coaches. This may require some training and development, but is considered one of the most important roles within the team. Resources As with any position within an organization, teams must have access to the resources they need to carry out their methods. This may include money, time, equipment, technology, people and information. Providing resources requires trust on the part of the organization and responsibility on the part of the team. Rewards and Recognition An emphasis on individual rewards undermines the effectiveness of team-based work and encourages team members to strive for individual performance goals that may not be congruent with the goals of the team. A team-based reward system should reward employees for teamwork and contributions to team success. Team Success A successful team is important to its organization as it can maximize organizational innovation by increasing the autonomy, participation and ownership of decisions of its employees. Belonging to a team can also give an employee the feeling of being part of something bigger than just themselves. Additionally, teams can provide a number of other attractions for the organization in which they operate. These include: Organizations now have complete access to an individual's knowledge and skills that they may not know existed in the first place. Teams enhance organizational learning because employees are able to experiment and create strategies that are best suited to their work. Working in a team can result in an increase in productivity and efficiency in an individual employee. Teamwork is associated with a greater variety of work duties and added responsibility for team members, which likely will result in increased levels of job satisfaction, motivation and employee commitment. This may in turn result in lower staff turnover and absenteeism. In today's busy and competitive corporate environment, teams continue to make sense. A company should begin by understanding the definition of a team and then learning how to create successful teams. In the long run, the formation of successful teams can be a great benefit to the organization and the customers they serve.