Effective Team Functioning

According to Atwater and Bass (1994), the following factors influence effective team functioning:

School culture. School culture means the underlying set of norms and values. Vision and mission can either support or repress team functioning. The team's norms and values and its vision and mission should be consistent with those of the school.
Clarity of the mission assigned to the team. The team should have a clearly defined and feasible mission and set of goals that are supported by the school's staff.
Incentives provided for successful performance. Team members should have incentives, rewards, or recognition for taking on the additional demands of team goals. Such incentives might include public recognition, attendance at professional conferences, praise, or special celebrations of accomplishments.
Availability of resources. As Louis and Miles (1990) point out, school change efforts take substantial resources, especially time and money. Before major change efforts are implemented, the team should be sure that necessary resources are available; if they are not, frustration and failure can follow, discouraging future efforts.
Physical environment. Crowding, lighting, temperature, distractions, and uncomfortable seating can influence team functioning and should be addressed early in the process.
External communications. Teams must be able to interact with the rest of the school and community. Regular, clear, and complete information on team discussions, planning, and decisions are key to gaining support for ideas developed in the team. The more communication, the more likely others will buy into the ideas suggested by the teams.
Social environment. Teams need to have strong, mutually reinforcing personal ties. The more the team members are committed to each other, the more likely they will commit to the plans that the team develops. Similarly, opportunities for team members to meet informally during the day can enhance team functioning.
Significant outsiders. The more teams are tied to significant outsiders in the school and the district who can help them, the more likely they will accomplish their mission. Connections to sources of ideas, support, instructional expertise, and so forth can help teams implement new ideas or programs more effectively.

Katzenback and Smith (1993) list the following conditions as helpful for effective team functioning:

Teams should be small, with fewer than 14 or 15 people, making it possible to work together and build a shared performance ethic.
Teams need individuals with a good mix of skills and knowledge, including technical expertise, problem solving and decision making skills, and interpersonal skills.
Teams need to be committed to a common purpose and have clear goals.
Teams need to be committed to a "common approach that defines how they will work together" (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993). It is important to ask members to do an "equivalent" amount of work beyond team meetings. Working together should include social aspects, allowing members time to interact, get to know each other, and have fun. Attention to finding the most effective ways to work together is the key.
Successful teams have "mutual accountability" (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993), meaning that the team holds itself and its members accountable for achieving the performance goals that it has established. Without this mutual accountability, the strength of teamwork is lost.