THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEAMS
As defined by Katzenbach and Smith (1993):
A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who
are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and
approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.They suggested that some of the main characteristics of teams
are as follows:
■ Teams are the basic units of performance for most organiza-
tions. They meld together the skills, experiences and insights
of several people.
■ Teamwork applies to the whole organization as well as
specific teams. It represents ‘a set of values that encourage
behaviours such as listening and responding cooperatively
to points of view expressed by others, giving others the
benefit of the doubt, providing support to those who need it
and recognizing the interests and achievements of others’.
■ Teams are created and energized by significant and
demanding performance challenges.
■ Teams outperform individuals acting alone or in large organ-
izational groupings, especially when performance requires
multiple skills, judgements and experiences.
■ Teams are flexible and responsive to changing events and
demands. They can adjust their approach to new information
and challenges with greater speed, accuracy and effective-
ness than can individuals caught in the web of larger organ-
izational connections.
■ High-performance teams invest much time and effort
exploring, shaping and agreeing on a purpose that belongs to
them, both collectively and individually. They are character-
ized by a deep sense of commitment to their growth and
success.
Richard Walton (1985) has commented that in the new commit-
ment-based organization it will often be teams rather than indi-
viduals who will be the organizational units accountable for
performance.
However, teamwork, as Peter Wickens (1987) has said, ‘is not
dependent on people working in groups but upon everyone
How to be an Effective Team Leader 287