Teams and Teamwork
What Is a Team?
Although a widespread consensus
acknowledges the prevalence of teams in
society, the research literature reflects only
marginal agreement concerning the definitional
components of teams. The variance in
definitions is due in part to the diversity of team
types. Teams carry a variety of purposes (e.g.,
learning, producing a product, solving
problems, gaining acceptance), forms (e.g.,
virtual, co-located), and sizes and longevity
(e.g., adhoc, long term) (Cohen & Bailey,
1997).
In an attempt to extract key features of
teams and develop a working definition of
teams for ALL, we reviewed several often-cited
definitions (Dyer, 1984; Guzzo & Shea, 1992;
Mohrman, Cohen, & Mohrman, 1995; Salas,
Dickinson, Converse & Tannenbaum, 1992).
This process produced four common
characteristics of a “team.”
! Two or more individuals
! A shared or common goal(s)
! Task interdependency
! A desired productive outcome(s)
These characteristics serve as the basis for
developing our working definition of a “team.”
A clear definition of a team is essential because
it provides measurement boundaries and clearly
distinguishes teams from small groups, which
do not necessarily connote interdependence. (A
team is also a “small group,” but a small group
may or may not be a team.) Our definition of a
team is as follows:
A team consists of two or more
individuals who must interact to achieve
one or more common goals that are directed
toward the accomplishment of a productive
outcome(s).
In addition, the definition and core
characteristics provide preliminary insight into
the nature of teamwork and its key facets. For
example, the characteristics of task
interdependency and shared goals imply that
team members must collectively decide on
team goals (team decision making) and work
cooperatively (coordination) to achieve these
goals.
What Is Teamwork?
Teamwork has traditionally been
described in terms of classical systems theory
in which team inputs, team processes, and
team outputs are arrayed over time. Here,
team inputs include the characteristics of the
task to be performed, the elements of the
context in which teamwork occurs, and the
attitudes team members bring to a team
situation. Team process includes the
interaction and coordination among members
required for performing team tasks and
achieving specific goals. Team outputs
consist of the products that result from team
performance (Hackman, 1987; Ilgen, 1999;
McGrath, 1984). With regard to teamwork,
the process phase is the defining point at
which teamwork occurs; it is during this phase
that team members interact and work together
to produce team outputs.
Numerous theories have been proposed
and extensive research has been conducted on
the nature of team process (i.e., teamwork).
Historically, this literature has sought to
identify generic teamwork skills that are
associated with most teams. More recently,
the focus has shifted towards researchers
identifying the specific competency
requirements of team members (Cannon-
Bowers, Tannenbaum, Salas, & Volpe, 1995;
O’Neil, Chung, & Brown, 1997; Stevens &
Campion, 1994). The term competency has a
variety of meanings. However, it is generally
used to denote the qualities needed by a
jobholder (Boyatzis, 1982)1. Specifically,
members’ behavior into account and believed
that a team approach was superior to an
individual one.
Refining the work of Cannon-Bowers et al.
(1995), Cannon-Bowers and Salas (1997)
delineated three types of team knowledge,
skills, and attitude competencies. First,
“individual competencies” are defined as the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes required on the
part of individual team members to perform
position requirements. These competencies
enable team members to perform tasks that are
specifically assigned to them. For example, an
individual in a marketing team assigned to
purchase newspaper-advertising needs to
possess specific knowledge and skills to
successfully perform this task. Second, “team
competencies held at the individual level” are
defined as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
that are generic with respect to a team and its
tasks. Essentially, these competencies are
transportable to different teams and different
team settings. For example, knowledge about
teamwork skills and behaviors; skill in
communication, team decision making, and
interpersonal relations; positive attitudes toward
teamwork, and a collective orientation enable
team members to function effectively across a
wide variety of teams. Finally, “team
competencies held at the team level” are defined
as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are
specific to a particular team and task. Unlike
team competencies at the individual level, these
competencies are not transportable. They only
have meaning within the team. For example,
knowledge of teammate roles and
responsibilities and specific teammate
characteristics are only useful within a specific
team context.
Given that the primary goal of ALL is to
assess teamwork in the adult international
population, teamwork measures will assess
“team competencies held at the individual
level.” By definition, these competencies are of
great interest to policymakers and educators
because they enable individuals to function
effectively in a wide variety of teams and a
wide variety of team settings.