Teaming Work Group

Team Types and their Characteristics
There are four principal team types to be found in most organisations. Whilst they share many characteristics and challenges, each is unique in terms of how they interact with their environment and they each have unique challenges and characteristics. Developing a team and maximising its effectiveness requires an understanding and recognition of its particular characteristics and challenges. The figure below broadly describes the four types. This article considers the Project Team in more depth.
Project Team:
In many organisations, project teams are the primary productive units and most of the output is achieved or delivered through project work. More and more employees are becoming involved in project teams of varying sizes. Project teams are generally established for a specific purpose and a specific duration which more often than not tends to be short term. Project teams can be co-located or, increasingly, virtual with members dispersed geographically.
Project Teams are established:

• to enhance product or service delivery to customers,
• to improve processes,
• to change business practices in a planned and co-ordinated way,
• to solve emerging problems,
• … or may be rushed into being to rapidly respond to a crisis.