Question about Team Development

"Some organizations have working groups that call themselves teams, but their work is produced by a combination of individual contributions. Teams produce work that is based on collaboration and collective effort" (Clark, 2010). Prior to selecting team members, a team leader should make a list of the type of team members they are in search of. They want to make sure that the team members are competent, a team player, reliable, goal oriented, and most importantly they must embrace diversity. When selecting a team member, there are a few factors that should be taken into consideration i.e., the "Three C's" of team building such as; Cohesion, Commitment, and Communication. Cohesion will determine whether the team member is a team player and if they are willing to lead as well as follow and share the responsibilities set forth by the team collectively. Commitment will determine if the perspective member is on board with the teams overall vision and main objective. Communication is an essential factor that will lead to a successful team experience only if communication is effective.

Project team members should be selected on account of their skills and attributes. The team should prepare a team charter in which case each team member incorporates their strengths and weaknesses, and basic ground rules for working together. The team charter functions as a contract between members. The team leader reviews the charter and begins to assign specific tasks based on the strengths identified by each team member. Katzenbach and Smith (1986) defined a team as "a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and a common approach that they hold themselves mutually accountable" (Clark, 2010).