Teamwork Articles:
The Art and Science of Leading Teams

Welcome to our series of teamwork articles focusing on the art and science of leading teams. Many organizations recognize that the power of teams is not always fully realized. There is a sense that, all too often, we simply don't realize the potential and benefits of teamworking, both for individuals and for their organizations.

In this section of the Happy Manager we'll examine the factors that help to make teams more effective. In doing so, we'll explain teamwork theories, provide helpful tips and tools, and post links to other useful resources.

See our article on Teamwork Theories - the STAR Team Model, where we bring together three main theories of teams to develop our STAR model as an approach to creating teams that both perform and create happier workplaces. We have also put together a comprehensive series of 10 teamwork articles on how to develop a team that performs using the STAR model and Stages of Team Development.

Our teamwork articles are designed to help you to understand some of the necessary conditions which need to be in place, in order to help teams deliver their potential. We've also included some free teamwork and teambuilding exercises and tools.

Teams may not be the answer to every organizational problem but there is no doubt that they can make the contributions of individuals collectively greater than the sum of their parts.

In the rapidly changing dynamics of today's business environment, where flexibility and responsiveness are prized, then properly managed teams can certainly contribute to a "better way to manage".

In these pages you'll find more than simple definitions. Here you'll find a growing collection of teamwork articles, tips, tools and resources. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can make the most of this valuable teamworking resource.

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Our Teamwork Articles

Teamwork Theories - the STAR Team Model
Bringing together teamwork theories with some of the main principles of creating a happier workplace, we suggest the STAR team model as a way to develop teams that both perform, and help to create a happier workplace.

Teamwork Principles: 6 of the Best
Teamwork principles can often be lost in the day-to-day busyness of work. We all know the value of teamwork. Or do we? Here we discuss 6 principles of teamwork.

What is Teamwork? There are many ways to answer the question what is teamwork? Elsewhere we have discussed how you might work with your team to better define teamwork in your organisation. There is however a secondary, and equally important understanding of the word teamwork: the type of work that is suitable for teams.

Why is Teamwork Important? 8 Good Reasons!
Why is teamwork important? Well it's one thing to create a team, but quite another to create teamwork. Just as it's one thing to join a team, but quite another to perform as a team member. To put it simply, teams don't work without teamwork.

Teamwork Theory: Tuckman's Stages of Group Development
Probably the most famous teamwork theory is Bruce Tuckman's 'team stages model'. Tuckman's model is widely used as a basis for effective team building and leadership. He suggests that teams grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of individuals, to cohesive, task-focused teams.

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This is our series of teamwork articles on how to lead and develop a team, using the STaR team model and team development stages. These 10 articles provide an essential guide to developing teams that perform and highlight some of the main pitfalls to avoid:

Stages of Team Development
Stages of team development is a really helpful way to think about how a team develops. Recognizing that teams need different things at different phases of their development is an important start, but how do you start up a team and get the team performing quickly, and what pitfalls do you need to avoid? Find out by reading this our first of 10 teamwork articles in our series on teams.

Team Building Techniques - How to Start-up a Team
One of the most important team building techniques is that of starting up a team. This article is part of our stages of team development series, and provides crucial tips for starting-up a team.

Teamwork Tips for Taking over an Existing Team
Teamwork tips for taking over an existing team is part of our series of teamwork articles on stages of team development, and provides helpful guidance on how to take over an existing team.

Team Building Concepts - Developing a Team
Central to most team building concepts is the ability to take a group of individuals with various strengths and create a team. Here we explore how to do that. This article is part of our stages of team development series, and provides helpful guidance on how to develop a team.

Team Building in the Workplace - Building Performing Teams
Team building in the workplace for performance relies on a counter-intuitive idea - you need to develop the individual. This article is part of our teamwork articles on developing a team, and provides helpful guidance on how to build a performing team.

Characteristics of Effective Teamwork - Building and Sustaining High Performing Teams
One of the crucial characteristics of effective teamwork is synergy. When synergy is achieved then a team moves towards high performance. How do you create the conditions to sustain high performance?

Team Building Question - How Do You Disband a Team?
An overlooked team building question is how you disband a team. Many teams come to their natural end, usually when the purpose for which they were formed has been achieved. Ending well is as important as starting well with a team, yet it is often overlooked.

Lack of Teamwork - Forcing Rather Than Forming a Team
Lack of teamwork is part of our stages of team development series, and provides helpful guidance on how to avoid forcing a team to perform rather than forming a team.

Poor Teamwork - When Teams Become Exhausting
Poor teamwork is part of our stages of team development series, and provides helpful guidance on how to avoid poor teamwork: when teams become exhausting

When Teamwork at Work Fails - When There is Too Much "Team" and Not Enough "Work"
When teamwork at Work fails is part of our teamwork articles on how to develop an effective team, and provides helpful guidance on how to avoid teams becoming too cosy

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Define Teamwork
If you were asked to define teamwork what would you say and where would you start? In this article we will look at some of the common understandings of teamwork, but we will also stress that teamwork is something perhaps best defined for yourself with your team and in your organization.

Team Goal Setting: Defining Meaningful Results
Team goal setting enables a team to clarify what constitutes meaningful results for them. The more team members are involved in agreeing what results they want to achieve the more committed they are likely to be to achieving them. Gaining ideas and commitment at an early stage pays in the longer term.

Teamwork Defined by Strengths
Teamwork defined by a strengths based approach provides a different perspective to how you define teamwork. In our article Teamwork Theories - The Star Team Model we introduced a model to develop teams using individual strengths combined together with effective teamwork in the pursuit of meaningful goals. Here we discuss the Strengths element of the model.

Teamwork in the Workplace: Create the Conditions
How do you create the conditions for effective teamwork in the workplace? Good team leadership is about creating the conditions that allow ideas and people to flourish.

Decision Making Styles
In this article you will find Tannenbaum and Schmidt's leadership style continuum, which proposes different levels of team involvement in decision making.

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Tips and Tools

Benefits of Teamwork: Group Activity Tool
What are the benefits of teamwork in your organisation? Use this teamwork group activity tool to help find out.

Teamwork Definition Activity
Creating you own teamwork definition is something that is too easily missed when forming teams or trying to build a team ethos in an organisation. Yet teamwork is something that is often best defined in your own organization and context.

Teamwork Quotes
Teamwork quotes are a great way to support team briefing sessions, to blend into training days, or even just to remind yourself of why teams are so important.

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The following teamwork articles explore the crucial role of facilitation, providing useful tool and tips on how to improve.

Structured Facilitation Skills: Crucial Role for Team Leaders
Developing a structured facilitation approach can make a big difference to a team's ability to perform but what skills are needed? This article is the first in our short series on facilitation, based on the idea that structured facilitation can be categorised into three strands relating to knowledge and skills.

Team Facilitation
Good team facilitation starts with being clear about the content of the meeting or workshop: what it is that you are facilitating. This article is part of our short series on structured facilitation approaches.

Structured Workshops: Getting the Process Right
Structured workshops provide a clear framework within which to facilitate meetings. To structure a workshop effectively, the right process needs to be matched to the content you are dealing with. This is another part of our short series on structured facilitation approaches.

Workshop Facilitation Skills
Workshop facilitation skills are needed to bring together the content of meetings and workshops with essential process steps. Help your teams gain the most from their knowledge and skills to achieve agreed outcomes.

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Resources and Links

Team Building Resources

Team Building Offer

Build a Better Team

Don't forget to visit the Happy Manager bookshop for our recommended books to help you with your leadership definition.

Go to Site Map from Teamwork Articles

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