Prof. Michael West has developed a wide reputation for developing the effectiveness of teams. At a seminar on team-working, he addressed many questions raised by the audience. Here are a few of the highlights that we took away and that may be useful to you in managing your team more effectively:-

• Team Building should focus on performance not cohesion. If a team performs then cohesion will follow, but the reverse cannot be said.
• Therefore the cornerstone for teamwork is the task. A team will only develop if the task requires them to be interdependent. A group of people who do not depend on each other to get the job done will never become a team.
• The ideal team size is 6-7 so that trust and mutual understanding can be created. Even virtual teams still need to get together at intervals and especially at the outset if they are to work as a team.
• Even self managing teams need direction and a clear set of goals from a leader.
• Teams become more successful, the longer they work together. Encourage teams to develop rituals to generate a sense of belonging and to make regular use of performance reviews

If leaders can transfer a powerful vision of the organisation in which they work and in which they operate, teams can generate passion and committment, and in these challenging times these are the hardest things to gain, and the most powerful qualities to sustain strong teams.

Carolyn Clarke©

Senior Training Associate, Corporate Alchemy