Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators

Chapter 2. TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Before embarking on a team-building effort, your team needs to answer two big questions:

Question #1: Are we really a team?

Question #1: Are we really a team?

Sometimes a team improvement effort is doomed from the start because the group going through it isn't really a team at all, at least not in the true sense of the word. You see, a team is a relatively small number of people (anywhere from three to twelve) that shares common goals as well as the rewards and responsibilities for achieving them. Team members readily set aside their individual or personal needs for the greater good of the group.

If your "team" doesn't meet these criteria, you might want to consider whether you have a smaller subset of the group ...