Which teams have employees from about the same level but different work areas?

Teams are growing in popularity because they typically outperform individuals, particularly when the tasks being performed require multiple skills, judgment, and experience. Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events, as they have the capability to quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband. They are an effective means for management to democratize their organizations and increase employee motivation.

It is important to note that groups and teams are not the same. A group is two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. A work group is a group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility. In contrast, a work team generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. Members’ individual efforts result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs.

Types of teams include problem-solving teams (where members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved), self-managed teams (groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors), cross-functional teams (teams made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task), and virtual teams (teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal).

The key components making up effective teams can be grouped into four general categories: context, composition, work design, and process.

Group effectiveness is dependent on contextual factors such as presence of adequate resources, effective leadership and structure, a climate of trust, and a performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions.

Group effectiveness also depends on the composition of the group, including factors such as the abilities of members, personality, allocation of roles, diversity, size, and member preferences. A diversity of skills is necessary to ensure an adequate knowledge base within the team. These include technical expertise, problem-solving and decision-making skills and interpersonal skills. Individual level variables that contribute to effective team performance include higher mean levels of extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability. The effectiveness of a team is also dependent upon matching individual preferences with team role demands. Teams are more likely to be more effective with 10 or less members and when they are composed of individuals who are cross-trained and who prefer being members of a group.

In terms of work design, freedom and autonomy, the opportunity to use different skills and talent, the ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product, and working on a task or project that has substantial impact on others are associated with higher levels of member motivation and team effectiveness.

Additionally, group effectiveness is dependent upon process variables such as the commitment to a common purpose, establishment of specific team goals, team efficacy, mental models, a managed level of conflict, and a minimization of social loafing.

If an organization is to be based around teams and workgroups then managers need to appoint, create and reward team players. Some people already possess the interpersonal skills to be effective team players. When hiring team members, in addition to the technical skills required to fill the job, care should be taken to ensure that candidates can fulfil their team roles as well as technical requirements.

People can also undergo training to ‘make them into team players’. Training specialists conduct exercises that allow employees to experience the satisfaction that teamwork can provide. Employees may also benefit by learning the five-stage group development model described in Chapter 9. Note, however, that some employees will resist being team players and may be untrainable.

Employees also need incentives to be good team players. An organization’s reward system needs to be reworked to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive ones.

Chances are you’re reading this because you are part of a team. You could be in a workplace team, a sports team or maybe you’re just getting started in management and want to understand the different types of teams. Whatever reason you’re here, we’re glad you snuck over to this side of the internet.

By definition, a team is a group of individuals who collaborate on related tasks to achieve a common goal. Whether it’s reaching a sales target, reducing safety incidences or reaching a team goal, collaboration and teamwork are essential. Teams generally have a list of set activities to take part in that can define their team in relation to the organisation – think ‘design team’, ‘sales team’ and ‘operations team’.

Learning about how different teams operate is useful for just about everyone. Science shows us that social interaction and teamwork contributed to our evolution as well as the size of our human brains. Isn’t that fascinating?

Read on to find out more about the different types of teams you’ll come across throughout your career and your life.

4 Different Types of Teams

#1: Functional Teams

Functional teams are permanent and include members of the same department with different responsibilities. A manager is responsible for everything and everyone reports to them. This is the typical top-down management approach that you’ll see in most organisations. Across all organisational teams, it’s important to prioritise workplace culture; the foundations of which are communication and trust.

To take your functional team to the next level, consider running a program in-house to improve communication by giving your team the tools to give feedback without causing offense. Additionally, it may be worthwhile getting clear on each individual teams’ goals, identity and preferred support methods to boost productivity and individual employee engagement.

#2: Cross-Functional Teams

Cross-functional teams are made up of individuals from various departments. These teams tackle specific tasks that require different inputs and expertise. This can happen when various teams need to work on a project together to get the best outcome. This can be a difficult dynamic to navigate if teams have been operating in a ‘silo’ approach up until the point of collaboration. It’s crucial that the different personalities and perspectives are embraced, and that everyone in the cross-functional team are working to their strengths.

#3: Self-Managed Teams

Generally, individuals in self-managed teams are employees of the same organisation who work together. Even though they may have a wide array of objectives, their aim is to reach a common goal. They operate without managers and are relatively autonomous, sharing responsibility and leadership. High-performing teams can often fall into this category.

People working in startups or small businesses may also find themselves in this type of team dynamic. It can be difficult for people who have worked in other types of teams for most of their career to adjust to this way of working, so there will likely be an adjustment period of sorts. It’s crucial that self-managed teams know how to deliver feedback and have tough conversations with tact. Without high levels of communication, trust, autonomy and mutual respect, self-managed teams will find it difficult to thrive.

#4: Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are made up of individuals who work in different physical locations and who use technology and collaboration tools to achieve a common goal.

With more employees looking for work from home opportunities, virtual teams will become much more common in the future of work. You may even have a few remote team members in your organisation right now who need to collaborate within a functional or cross-functional team.

It’s important for virtual team members to be involved from a cultural perspective within your organisation. Having face to face video calls and giving your team members the opportunity to connect on a personal relationship level will help to improve rapport and moral. We’ve already shared a bunch of info on creating a strong remote team culture, so give that a look when you have a moment.

Did you find this article useful? Be sure to share it with a fellow manager directly or better yet, give it a share on LinkedIn.

If you’d like to explore the topic of team dynamics further, we’d recommend taking a look at our article on how to turn your dysfunctional team into an effective team, it’s a real good read.

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