■ The Background of Teamwork

The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction across departments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions around the organizations, teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues.

Globalization has added a further dimension to teamwork. For example, multinational teams now study policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market.

■ Is Team Work Being Overdone

Some managers are on as many as seven or eight different teams', says a psychologist who recently ran a conference on the subject. 'They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks.' Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There is also the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. 'People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychological support.'

■ Teamwork in Business and Sports Is Different

The idea behind team working is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a 'force' develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport, where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international team. However, few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match.

■ Essence in Business

In business, everyone need to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it. Unfortunately, people focus instead on whom the members of the team should be and what roles they are to play. There is always a danger that teams can turn into committees. In a lot of situations, one or two individuals would be much more effective.

■ What Makes a Successful Team

There are some general qualities that have been identified. Experts recommend that in every team there should be someone who is good at researching ideas and another who is good at shooting down  impractical ones. There should be those who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused on getting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way of ensuring that the team will move on to greater things.

Select people who fit naturally into certain roles.