Every workplace has teams that are led by the team leader. Now, if you ask that leader what their dream team is, all of them will have different answers. This is because there are different types of teams with different abilities and creative minds. Now knowing about the different types of teams in the office can help any employer build their dream team that can work tirelessly toward the goal.
So, let’s understand the different types of teams and how you can harness their power for organizational success.
Different Team Types:
According to PI's science team, there are a total of nine teams which are all different from each other. These types are created based on the members' collective ways of working and employee behaviors. They are -
- Adapting
- Anchoring
- Bolstering
- Cultivating
- Executing
- Exploring
- Pathfinding
- Producing
- Stabilizing
The primary difference between these teams is the "natural behavioral strengths" of employees. While an Exploring team will have members who think big and are huge risk-takers, a Stabilizing team will have risk-averse members. While you can expect innovation and agility from an Exploring team, you can depend on a Stabilizing team for better efficiency.
All of these teams have strengths along with downsides that you need to be aware of while building your dream team. The key is to make your team understand your strategies and goals and for you to be aware of what their true potential is.
The Importance of Having Teams in Companies:
Every organization has teams that are formed with different responsibilities, depending on their skills, the nature of their jobs, and the levels they are working on. For instance, a leadership team will have a group of people who are all working in a management position. Teams are needed to fulfill an objective or goal with collective skills and powers. In the workplace, you will be able to identify different types of teams working in unity. It is always important to understand what team type you are working with so that it becomes easier to define and reach shared goals or objectives.
The Different Types of Teams in a Workplace:
- Project Teams - These teams are made up of people who most of the time have different roles, responsibilities, and tasks. However, all of the members are working toward the same goal with a shared objective.
- Functional Teams - They consist of members who share the same skills, have similar responsibilities, and share the same department or report to the same authority.
- Cross-functional Teams - Here, the teams are filled with people who come from different backgrounds and departments and possess a wide range of skills and responsibilities to solve problems or make different decisions.
- Virtual Teams - They are the newest entry to the group because of the rise in remote working. The team members very rarely work together in the same physical space but use online collaboration tools to be connected.
- Problem-solving Teams - It is similar to project teams which consist of individuals with similar skills, roles, and responsibilities. Depending on their knowledge, skills, and experience, these members are brought together to find solutions for specific problems.
- Self-managed Teams - This kind of team is filled with members who do not rely on any leader or authority to make a decision or guidance on any matter. The members themselves are completely responsible for their work and deadlines along with fulfilling expectations and goals.
Understanding the strengthsof every team and utilizing them in different scenarios for different work is the key to reaching the shared organizational goal.
