The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building

Chapter 2. Defining a Team

Defining a Team

Teams are groups of individuals who accomplish designated objectives by working interdependently, communicating effectively, and making decisions that affect their work. They often have a certain level of autonomy and they develop procedures for accomplishing their goals. Ongoing training in both technical and team skills are also a hallmark of a team, as is the team leader or manager getting training on how to manage and lead a team.

Teams have a common purpose or goal and a clear mission statement of that purpose. They know what their desired results are and they can measure their progress toward those goals. A team’s goals are aligned with the goals of the department and/or organization, and team members ...