Definition: Team Development

Team Development creates a winning atmosphere by:

• Developing Trust among team members
• Opportunity to Practice Openness
• Enhances Cooperation Through Realization of Objectives
• Promotes Interdependence (Collaboration, Teamwork, Camaraderie, etc.)

Team Development’s purpose is to help a team engage in the process of self-examination to gain awareness of those conditions which are the sources of its strength and those conditions that keep it from functioning effectively. Through the team development process, the group learns how to make decisions and take those actions that will lead to better efficiency, productivity, product quality and quality of work life.

Whether it's on the sports field or in the workplace, teams take time to come together. There is a natural development process every team progresses through. It is useful to examine this maturation so that as a team member, leader or facilitator you can be prepared to work effectively with the team.

• Recognize that teams mature over time and develop along commonly defined paths and milestones.

• Teams develop through four stages: Initial stage, Processing, Coming Together— Normalizing and Performing. Good leader facilitation skills will help teams progress through the stages.

• Teams develop in unique ways, and they can move back and forth between one development stage and another based on team membership, outside influences or redirection of the team's purpose.

As a result of Team Development, team members set higher goals, people are more motivated to achieve their goals, everyone receives more assistance, support, and coaching, and the group produces more and better ideas.

Surveys with Team Development participants reveal that problems do not go away; they only get worse. By spending time working on solutions day-to-day in a Team mode, groups save time and money in the long run by not allowing problems to get worse.

The results are: Time saved, problems solved, more team cooperation, better communication, higher morale, more energy, synergy, enthusiasm, creativity, commitment, participation and higher quality work.