Five characteristics of a great team

Teams are popular in many business organizations and have proven successful in improving processes and reducing costs. Companies can build great teams by helping develop five characteristics of great teams. These characteristics that the best teams have are indicated through the use of roles, showing attitudes and behaviors towards their work and each other. The way members work together in a group, deal with conflict, and how they work individually on team tasks are also indicators of a good team.

A great team will have:

1. Members who share leadership responsibility and rotate other roles as needed.

2. Everyone participating in the generation of ideas, problem solving and decision making.

3. Members showing support, respect and trust for each other.

4. All actions and work necessary to achieve the team’s goals.

5. Members manage conflict by confronting problems and inappropriate behavior.

The best teams display these characteristics in their roles, attitudes, behaviors, and teamwork and dedicated individuals. Team members should help each other work to develop these characteristics in order to develop their ongoing work ethic and skills. As teams continue to grow in popularity within business, understanding and using the five characteristics of great teams can help teams and the organization measure their success in team building.

NOTE: Team meeting and project planning forms can be found in the books “RARA A Meeting Wizards Approach” and “OPIE Project Planning and Implementation for Teams”. Additional development and evaluation resources can be found in the book “Team Building Primer: A Start-up Guide for Developing Effective Teams, Committees, and Other Groups.”