A project or challenge comes up and many people, without thinking, immediately form a team to research, solve the problem and implement the solution. Teams can be a very powerful way to solve problems and implement massive improvements. But teams arent the right answer to every situation.
To get the best possible results from the resources available, it is important that a leader answer a question they typically dont ask – Is a team the best way to address this situation?
Unfortunately when they assume the answer to that first question they jump to Who should I put on the team? When they start there, they may have already doomed the organization to less than the perfect solution, before they even get started.
This article poses five questions designed to help you answer this important first question.
Is the goal clear? If the goal isnt crystal clear yet, dont form a team. A team can develop a problem statement and solve a problem, but they cant work successfully (at least not quickly and efficiently) with a goal that isnt clearly articulated. Once the goal is clear (you might want to meet with a couple of people in a one time...