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Team Effectiveness: Principles of Effective Teamwork

1. Overview

  • Successful teams develop strong relationships and incorporate effective group processes
  • Successful teams work together to establish and meet agreed upon goals
  • Successful teams have relationships that are based on commitment, cooperation, and trust
  • Successful teams foster team members’ participation, satisfaction, learning, and growth

2. Successful Task Completion Occurs When…

  • The team establishes a common goal/set of goals
  • The criteria for team success are clearly established
  • The goal(s) take all relevant stakeholders into consideration
  • The team is successful in achieving its goal(s)
  • Team performance is enhanced because of the team members and teamwork

3. Individual Benefits Occur When…

  • Each team member has ample opportunity to express their ideas
  • Each team member meets the team’s expectations of them
  • Each team member is satisfied with the outcome
  • Each team member experiences learning/ growth from the team experience

4. Characteristics of Successful Teams

  • Successful teams develop strong working relationships by ensuring:
    • Defined roles
    • Accountability
    • Clear and proactive communications
  • Successful teams incorporate effective processes by incorporating:
    • Shared leadership among team members
    • Diversity of skills and personalities
    • Frank and frequent critique

5. Effective Social Relations Occur When…

  • The workload is evenly distributed among team members
  • Team members listen to/respect the input of others
  • The team leadership style is appropriate for the team’s developmental stage and goals
  • The decision-making process is fair
  • Conflict (if any) is resolved by satisfying the interests of all team members
  • All team members met the team’s expectations of them
  • Relationships among team members are strengthened by working together

6. Additional Reading