One of the most difficult types of assignments that students undertake in college involves working in groups to accomplish a task. Universities typically assign these tasks in order to familiarize students with the advantages of group work, so they will improve their value as team players.

Considering the amount of teamwork involved in criminal justice and the potential that you may oversee a team or be a team leader in the future, please answer the following questions.

How do the leadership requirements, structures, and functioning of the following types of teams differ from each other?

Self-managed and functional teams
Cross-functional and virtual teams

Select and analyze those team structures that can be adopted successfully in criminal-justice agencies. Assess the team structures with reference to the emphasis on hierarchical rigidity and the formal atmosphere of criminal justice.

Discuss whether collective efficacy of the group and mutual trust in the team are more important than individual skills while determining team performance. Support your response with suitable examples.

Does role clarity for each team member influence his or her cooperation and coordination within the team? How? What possible hurdles might be encountered if there are overlapping roles or confusion about individual roles?

Which are the three most important determinants of group processes that affect decision making in groups within criminal justice agencies? Provide a rationale and examples for your choices.