Types of teams
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Formal teams are created for specific, important purposes and have structured operations to achieve goals within set constraints like budgets and timelines. Examples include job interviewing teams and event planning teams. Informal teams form more casually to improve work processes in less important ways without constraints, like sports teams discussing game tactics. The optimal team size is around five members, large enough for diverse skills and perspectives but small enough for involvement and efficiency. Temporary teams work together just for one project, while permanent teams collaborate continuously as part of an organization. Benefits of teams include setting and monitoring goals, reviewing performance, sharing expertise, fostering innovation, and identifying talents.
Types of teams
- 1. Unit 19 P1 Lewis Appleton 1 Miss Johnston Types of teams Formal Formal teams are those that have been created for a specific purpose, this means the operations are going to be far more structured and organised because the purpose it is usually for is usually one that has some importance such as interviewing possible candidates for a job position. Formal teams are recognised with the status of being official, a popular form of formal team is a “Quality Circle”, this involves between eight and twelve employees who will regularly meet to discuss what can be improved. Examples Job Interviewing – The interview process will need to be planned and structured so that the candidate will be able to receive a date on when to arrive for the interview. Event organisers – The event organiser will need to have everything planned out, they can’t just do things as they go along as they have to work within budgets, time frames and other restrictions. Informal Informal teams are those that have developed in a way that is less structured, this is a more casual form of team. This usually forms in general discussions but is usually for something far less important such as improving one of the ways that the work system operates, it usually isn’t something that has time or resource constraints and as there’s no limits to when it has to be done it can be taken at any pace. Examples Sports teams – Football teams work as a team but although they may plan what tactics they are going to use they will not spent months planning for one match, they will just casually talk and say to each other what they are going to do during the game, this works efficiently because being part of a team is a casual thing. First game developer – A person developing a game for the first time is likely to only have a small team and they are likely to work together in a casual way, this is because they have no previous work to show and they are working at their own pace while still getting it done in the end. Size of teams Dependant on the purpose of the team there is always a different recommended size that would fit. It also depends on the restrictions such as time, if the team is going to work within 48 hours then it may be hard to organise a large team so a smaller team may be more appropriate. Teams that are too big may be difficult to involve everyone and therefore smaller teams may be appropriate as in large teams it may also be hard for everyone to communicate. However in teams too small the case may be that there is too much work or too much to say in which case a larger team is appropriate. The optimum team size is five, this is because the odd number prevents a deadlock in decisions such as two people being opposed in their decision to the other two in a team of four, the team is large enough to avoid potential mistakes from a lack of information and the group is of a size that can involve everyone. However it’s argued that modern teams should include between five and fifteen members to provide enough resources but can still function efficiently. If the size grows too big it may be difficult for the members to operate without a leader. Temporary teams
- 2. Unit 19 P1 Lewis Appleton 2 Miss Johnston Temporary teams are usually set up for a one off project or possibly even an annual project such as event, they usually agree on a plan and usually only work together for the project as in splitting after the project is complete. An example of this may include preparing advertisements on a one off. It’s important in temporary teams to make everyone clear about the team’s purpose and allocate clear roles. Permanent teams Permanent teams are those that work together continuously, this usually means being part of an organisation for the majority as these would work together continuously, after a while the roles and behaviour of the members becomes established. Benefits of a team Target setting and monitoring Teams will usually set a target, if not multiple. They may have an original goal such as to get an amount of sales but they may also have stretch goals which mean going over their original goal and these milestones may have additional rewards for the members. The team leader is important in setting the teams targets and goals. They then need to monitor the performance to make sure of this. Monitoring performance The best way to monitor the performance of the team is to do a performance review, this involves the individuals to have their say and what they think is an appropriate goal and the team leader will consider this when agreeing with them. The leader then regularly reviews if the targets are being met and this will be discussed in formal meetings. Reduction of alienation If someone is alienated it means they are left out of the group and made to not belong to something. Teams help prevent this by breaking it down into components. Fostering innovation This is the encouragement to be creative, thinking of new ideas and strategies that would help. The team members know if the idea they have is exciting, the other members are likely to be enthusiastic. If the ideas are not fully appropriate or applicable then the team members can suggest modifications. Sharing expertise The good part of being in a team is that each member will have a different level of intelligence and will each know different things, these can be combined with each other to come up with ideas, such an example would be a defender and attacker in a sport team which have different levels of expertise in that field. Implementing changes This is a good part because it means if a change has to be made then it is not a one sided or biased change, changes will need to take into perspective everyone’s viewpoints which will affect the change, if an idea is good but just lacks one detail then the team can work together to perfect it. Identifying and developing talent To be part of a team that is effective the team members need to be those with different skills and qualities to offer, if they all had the same qualities then they may just be repeating each other and not get any more done than if working solo. It’s also important to make sure that everyone gets a role.