Choose The Right Team Model

  Communications Management   Decision Making   Leadership   ProjectsAtWork  

There are four different ways you can structure, organize and manage your teams. These four ways, or team models, have different communication and decision-making styles. As a project manager, you need to decide which model best fits the people you manage, the nature of their work, and the culture of your organization. But first, there are three factors that determine the best way to set up a team.

There are three major factors that you should consider when deciding on how you need to structure you team's communication and decision making. The first and most important factor is the current subject-matter expertise of your team members. Are they highly, moderately, or not technically skilled? To what degree can they learn and develop? Can they work on their own and interdependently with others, or do they need lots of direction and training from you?

You also need to look at their current level of team skills, sometimes called interpersonal skills. Are they able to communicate effectively with one another, listen to different points of view, motivate one another, come up with a consensus decision, and deal with team members who challenge the group process or do not do their part? Or do you have to take the lead in all or most of these areas?

The second factor of team life is the nature of the team's work. Some types of work lend …

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