Today, high performance in an organization requires a blend of diverse skills, multiple perspectives, judgements and experiences. This is especially so in a world of increasing change, uncertainty and complexity. Organizations recognise that this blend is best achieved through team working.

Effective and well-functioning teams have been shown to be flexible and responsive to changing events and demands. Teams are small enough to adjust their approach to new information, technology and challenges with greater speed, accuracy and effectiveness than can large business units or divisions.

The diversity arising from people with very different skills, experiences and personalities enriches the team and it is this mix of people working collaboratively that seems to make the difference. It releases creativitTeams generally define any organization. Whether it be a football team, a team of dancers, a military team or a team within a business they all depend on each other to maximize performance and the more skilled, cohesive and well molded a team is, the better they will perform.

This module looks at different team types and the inherent skills required. It examines how skills and cohesion can be developed and nurtured. By the end of the module students will be aware of the skills they can bring to any team, the importance of those skills and how they might be developed.  y and energy, unlocks the potential for discovery and innovation and focuses people on achieving common goals.

Teams have clear benefits for organizational performance but they also have benefits for the individual. There is much evidence to suggest that individuals actually prefer working in teams rather than on their own. They value the social interactions, the collective learning, the opportunity to bounce ideas off others and the sense of belonging that arises from teams. This leads to increased motivation and work satisfaction and this, in turn, leads to higher performance by the individual.

Teams outperform even the smartest of individuals acting alone. Buzzwords such as ‘networked’, ‘clustered’, ‘connecting the dots' have all arisen from the recognition that cross-functional teams perform far better than individuals working solo. There is energy, dynamism, collaboration in well functioning teams - people build on the contributions of others and come up with innovative ways of doing things.

Overwhelming evidence in support of teams as a vehicle for high performance has led to flatter organizations with teams being the primary performance unit within the organization.

Teams, however, do not simply happen. They must be planned, developed and supported to become successful. Leadership is crucial. Achieving team cohesion and commitment requires special leadership qualities such as motivating and inspiring people, setting clear direction, aligning people, encouraging people and celebrating successes. Leadership must be situational - the leader must know when to be directive, when to be coaching and when to be delegating. Just as teams are empowered, individuals within the team must be empowered in their sphere of expertise. The leader must be aware of the optimal mix of team roles and must recognise the phases in team development.

High performance teams call for special qualities. High-performance teams often practice shared leadership. They encourage constructive interactions and thrive on group learning. They are resilient to setbacks, using these as learning experiences to perform better the next time. They set themselves challenging and inspiring performance goals - they take pride in achieving high performance.

Developing teams goes hand in hand with developing individuals. Leaders must be able to spot talent and potential. They must provide opportunities to develop individuals so that they can achieve their potential. The team culture must be such that personal initiative is encouraged and individuals actively aided in learning from experiences. Individuals must be supported in compiling personal development plans so that they can continually better their performance.

Teams generally define any organization. Whether it be a football team, a team of dancers, a military team or a team within a business they all depend on each other to maximize performance and the more skilled, cohesive and well molded a team is, the better they will perform.

This module looks at different team types and the inherent skills required. It examines how skills and cohesion can be developed and nurtured. By the end of the module students will be aware of the skills they can bring to any team, the importance of those skills and how they might be developed.