Team Work

Groups don’t become teams because that is what someone calls them. Nor do teamwork values by themselves ensure team performance. So what is a team?

The essence of a team is shared commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a powerful unit of collective performance. The best teams invest a tremendous amount of time shaping a purpose that they can own. The best teams also translate their purpose into specific performance goals. And members of successful teams pitch in and become accountable with and to their teammates. The fundamental distinction between teams and other forms of working groups turns on performance. A working group relies on the individual contributions of its members for group performance.

A team strives for something greater than its members could achieve individually. In short, an effective team is always worth more than the sum of its parts.