The different types of work teams and how they form

Teamwork, in times of cloud computing and collaborative software, it’s one of those qualities that everyone wants to see in their company. But the truth is that for different types of work teams, different forms of integration and collaboration develop and allow them to function better.

In this post, we’ll see what it characterizes and what the different types of work teams are and also the dynamics of how they’re formed.

Learn more: How to improve team performance: 5 educated tips

What are the different types of work teams?

Each of these different types of work teams has a specific purpose that justifies their creation according to each model.

See details of each of them:

1- Functional work team

In this work team, all the members belong to the same functional area and respond to a single manager, responsible for the management of the whole group.

It’s very common in companies with rigid hierarchies and you’ll recognize them for the examples we are going to give: such as Accounting and HR departments or the Maintenance team and other specialized groups like these.

2- Inter-working team

In this case, the work team is made up of members from different areas of activity, and its members usually have the same hierarchical level.

This type of work team is usually formed to develop work with a multidisciplinary view, in which each area represented by team members complements the knowledge of others, bringing more creative and comprehensive results.

Examples of these types of work teams would be committees and councils, where members from different areas work together to solve specific problems, such as a Sustainability Committee, for example; or strategic, as is the case with the Boards of Directors of companies.

3- Troubleshooting team

Organizations employ these teams usually to improve processes to find out how to solve the problems that are harming them.

When determining the options for solving the causes of problems, they are sent to the departments responsible, as this kind of work team does not implement the solutions it suggests.

4- Self-managed teams

Groups of employees who work in an extremely integrated and collaborative way because they don’t have a formal leader.

Members define the division of labor, responsibilities and the distribution of tasks, as well as make decisions and even control and supervise themselves.

5- Project team

These are work groups an organization creates to implement a specific project until completion. Afterward, the group dissolves as it achieved its objectives.

Typically, members come from different areas of the company and perform other tasks related to their home department.

But, as far as the project is concerned, they answer to the project leader.

6- Task Force team

This is one of the most interesting types of work teams. They form only when emergency situations emerge which the organization needs to solve.

Its members are usually the best of the company in the area. During the resolution of the emergency, they will dedicate themselves exclusively to this task. Their goal is to do this in the best way and in the shortest possible time.

Now that you’ve seen what the different types of work teams are, understand how they form their dynamics.

See also: The best time management strategies – it doesn’t stop!

The 5 formation phases of the different types of work teams

  1. Training: the initial phase, when the work team begins to meet and integrate. Although motivated, the members still have some insecurity, but everyone works hard.
  2. Storm: the initial excitement diminishes along with performance, as the first conflicts arise. The group seeks to “identify” a leader and define everyone’s territories and responsibilities.
  3. Normalization: once they get to know each other better, members begin to understand and form implicit working rules. A leader emerges recognized by all.
  4. Performance: with everything defined and integrated, performance is completely aimed towards the defined common objectives.
  5. Dissolution: with the objective reached, the dissolution phase is characterized by low motivation. It’s the leader’s duty to mitigate this feeling for future projects.

To choose from the different types of work teams best suited for each process in your company, use HEFLOUsing the business process automation feature you can improve the performance of all kind of work teams. Check it out!

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