SESSION THREE: TYPES OF TEAMS
What kind of team do you enjoy working on the most? What gives you the most challenge? Sometimes we do not realize how much of what we do is influenced by the people and situations that we find ourselves in.
In this session, you’ll explore the descriptions behind different kinds of team structures, and consider the types of teams you are working on.
What a Team Is Not
A rose may be always a rose, but a team is not always a team. While many groups are called teams these days, they may actually just be a group of individuals. We hear terms such as an executive team, a quality team, a service team, or a sales team, but just calling a group a team doesn’t make them a team at all.
Types of Teams
There are several modern classifications of teams.
The Traditional Model
This refers to a group of people who have a traditional leader but who also share some of the leader’s responsibility and authority. How much leadership is shared usually depends on the particular task and what the boss is comfortable delegating. The boss is in charge, but may allow other team members to take the leadership role on various issues.
The Team Spirit Model
This is a group of people who are perceived as happy working for one boss. These people demonstrate team spirit, though they don’t function as a true team since they report to one person who is responsible for all results and does not share authority or responsibility among the team.
The Self-Directed Work Team
This is a group of people who manage themselves. No one person in the group has the authority to make all the decisions about the events that impact the group. This is referred to as a self-directed work team because everyone has authority and responsibility for all the decisions they have to make.
The Task Force Model
This is a group that comes together for a specific time to work on a special project or task. This group has traditionally been called a task force or committee.
The Virtual or Cyber Team
Members of these teams typically don’t see each other in person, though they may connect frequently using technology. They are working together to accomplish goals, but meet via e-mail, phone, or over the Internet. They can also fit any of the four models listed above.
Defining a Team
We like this definition: “We can define a team as a group of people who come together under shared leadership, mutual responsibility, and conscious authority to achieve agreed-upon goals in a mutually effective fashion.” (From “Games That Teach Teams: 21 Activities to Super-Charge Your Group,” by Steve Sugar and George Takacs)
If you broke down this definition into its words and phrases, could you justify each one?
o Group
o Who comes together
o Shared leadership
o Mutual responsibility
o Conscious authority
o Agreed-upon goals
o Mutually effective