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Teamwork

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The Art of Teamwork

May 17, 2010

The Art of Teamwork

What is teamwork? How does a team form from a group of individuals with different personalities and ideas? It is often said the difference between a group and a team is that a team shares a common goal (Davis, p. 309). However, this statement does not explain how a team is structured and how it grows into a single entity from a group of many. Taking an assortment of people and changing them from a group into a team takes time, patience, and focus (Davis, p. 310). The idea of developing and implementing a team charter can assist in this cumbersome task. It allows team members to highlight areas considered to be their strengths and be forthright about their weaknesses. In addition, a charter is an instrument that can be used from the start of team cohesion to identify team objectives, state how conflicts will be resolved, and aid in unity by initiating involvement of all team members. One of the most rigorous barriers a group has to overcome on the way to becoming a team is understanding personality type and individual differences. Personality is a learned characteristic derived from an individual’s environment, lifestyle and experiences. (Davis, p. 313) As a result, when forming a team from different backgrounds, finding conflicting ideas and opinions is inevitable. However, the key point to remember is that everyone can make a significant contribution to the success of the team, provided that you allow people to contribute according to their own special skills and strengths (Davis, p. 313). In-other-words, a team can use the team charter to identify when to ask for input and assistance from different team members. Not only has this approach proven to be more successful for teams, it should minimize team conflict by not involving a member in the performance of a task they consider to be their weakness.

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