Team effectiveness refers to the system of getting people in a company or institution to work together effectively. The idea behind it is that a group of people working together can achieve much more than if the individuals of the team were working on their own. The effectiveness of a team is determined by a number of factors.
How effective a team is depends in part on bringing together people who have different skills that somehow complement each other. This can include different technical abilities or communication skills. In fact, teaming up people who share the exact same characteristics is often a recipe for disaster. Team effectiveness depends on people taking on different roles in a group setting. If there is no agreement on who does what in the group, it is unlikely that the team will prosper.
The interest that the group has in the project also strongly influences its effectiveness. If the job is too easy or too difficult, or if the rewards for achieving the end result do not seem worth the effort, the team may end up working half-heartedly. The task should also have a clear outcome. Working towards a specific goal enhances the effectiveness of a team significantly.
The ability to solve conflicts without compromising the quality of the project is also important. Team work has one major downfall: sometimes, groups end up making decisions they know are not in the best interest of the project, just so they can keep the process moving. Conflict is innate to any work done in groups, and it should be taken as part of the challenge rather than as something to be avoided by compromising.
One way to enhance team effectiveness is to agree beforehand on a code of conduct. As conflicts arise, it is important to know how to deal with them. Teams should decide what is allowed and what is not, how the team will deal with disagreements, and if open discussion is favored or if the group will vote on major decisions. Knowing what to expect and having the plan will make the process of working in group much easier.
