Teams can be powerful, energising, creators of value for an organisation and through them a company can enjoy performance no individual could possibly achieve on their own. At the same time, teams can be difficult, dynamic, inefficient centres of frustration that are the opposite of productive and can actually detract from a company’s objectives.
Functional or otherwise, two constants exist regarding teams: companies cannot operate effectively without them and the same intangible asset is primarily responsible for the company being either extremely effective or extremely ineffective… people.
Balance is the key to the success of any team. Fail to balance the team with talents, skills and knowledge that compliment each other and you create a lopsided, one-dimensional creature that is typically ineffective and costly in more ways than one. Fail to build a team where people’s personalities don’t mesh well and regardless of the talent, the positioning and in-fighting will cripple the team’s ability to provide value.
In order to get the best results from any team, it’s important to understand the following things:
• Team Balance – team member strengths must compliment the
weaknesses of others, and vice versa, in the following areas:
o Thinking Styles
o Personal styles
o Motivations
o Level of Knowledge and Experience
o Preferred Culture
• Awareness – they must have a sound understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of themselves and their team members abilities and preferences in the above areas as well
