How can you identify the best teamwork model for your company?

2 Explore the options

The second step is to explore the options and learn about the different teamwork models and theories that exist. Functional teams are typically grouped by their functions or departments, such as marketing, finance, or engineering. These teams have clear roles and responsibilities and focus on their specific tasks and goals, making them good for stability, efficiency, and quality. On the other hand, cross-functional teams are composed of members from different functions or departments who work on a common project or goal. This type of team offers creativity, problem-solving, and customer satisfaction but may face conflicts, communication barriers, and coordination issues. Self-managing teams have a high degree of autonomy and responsibility; they decide how to plan, execute, and evaluate their work based on a shared vision and purpose. This type of team is good for empowerment, motivation, and innovation but may lack guidance, accountability, and alignment. Finally, virtual teams work remotely with a flexible and diverse workforce that can operate across different time zones and locations. They are beneficial for cost-effectiveness, scalability, and access to talent but may struggle with building rapport, trust, and cohesion.

3 Evaluate the fit

In the third step, you should evaluate how well the teamwork model aligns with your company's vision and culture, helps you achieve desired outcomes, satisfies team member needs, and enables you to learn and improve. Criteria such as alignment, performance, satisfaction, and improvement can help you assess the fit between your needs and the available options.

4 Implement the model

The fourth step is to implement the teamwork model that you have chosen. This involves communicating the purpose, goals, roles, and expectations of the team to all stakeholders, training team members on the skills and tools they need to work effectively in the teamwork model, providing resources and guidance for team members to perform their tasks and overcome their challenges, monitoring progress and performance, and adjusting the teamwork model based on feedback and results.

5 Review the model

The fifth step is to review the teamwork model periodically, and assess its strengths and weaknesses. This can be done by measuring team performance and satisfaction with quantitative and qualitative indicators, such as productivity, quality, customer feedback, team morale, and engagement. After analyzing the performance and satisfaction, identify the factors that contribute to or hinder them. This might include teamwork processes, practices, behaviors, and outcomes. Finally, improve your teamwork model by implementing actions and strategies that address the gaps and issues you have identified as well as enhance the positive aspects you have observed.

6 Repeat the cycle

The sixth step is to repeat the cycle of assessing, exploring, evaluating, implementing, and reviewing your teamwork model, as your company's needs and objectives evolve over time. By doing this, you can ensure that you always have the best teamwork model for your company, and that you can leverage the benefits of teamwork for your success.