How to Organize a Team?

After designing a team, it should be organized to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Some of the common elements for organizing or managing a team include.

• Establish Roles - After selecting members of the team, these members must be organized into functional or cross-functional roles. It is the role of the manager to organize team members in a manner that has the highest level of productivity. Often, organizing team member roles requires more than simply assigning individuals to areas in which they have skills or ability. It requires understanding the nature of the responsibilities for each role and the personalities of those assigned to that role.
• Establish Expectations - Team members are more effective when they understand what is expected of them. They must fully understand their responsibilities as well as the expectations for performance or output.
• Establish Team Norms - Team norms are the general expectations for how members of the team will behave and their approaches to the tasks at hand. Many team norms come from the rules guiding the teams activities and the culture that develops from individual activities and personalities. Norms generally incorporate assumptions of individuals and the values that guide their actions.

Developing a Team Contract

A common practice is to develop a team contract that includes rule about roles, expectations, and team norms (culture and values). It serves as a road map for how the team interacts. Some of the matters covered in a team contract include:

• Team Values and Goals
• Roles and Leadership
• Authority and Decision Making
• Rules for Communication & Coordination
• Performance Standards

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