Teams: Panaceas or prescriptions for improved performance?

This paper addresses the contribution of teams to organizational performance. It distinguishes between three types of team attributes: technical expertise, self-management, and self-leadership, reviewing each attribute and assessing its relative contribution to three aspects of organizational performance: cost, value, and innovation. The paper also addresses the issue of the relatively neglected factor of the development costs of establishing and maintaining such groups and advocates a more rigorous approach to making a cost/benefit analysis before instituting teams. Finally, the paper advances a model of team development based on team attributes and performance objectives. Overall, therefore, this paper advances a classification of team attributes which is intended to facilitate team design and development, and which is potentially applicable to all teams in organizations.