Principles of Team Effectiveness

Reading this text will help you understand the criteria that affect team effectiveness. Of particular note is the section on assessment. Teams formed to achieve specific tasks need to determine whether they succeed and meet performance benchmarks. The text provides information for you to think about your team's performance.

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

Source: Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/c.php?g=365963&p=2473004
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.