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What Is Team Building?

By definition, A team is merely a group of people or animals joined together for a common purpose or to achieve a common goal. Teams are inherently useful for conducting tasks or achieving results that are both complex in nature and that may require any number of associated sub-tasks. By understanding what a team is, it is much easier to grasp what is team building, and why you would want to.

  A group is not always the same as a team. Teams generally are comprised of members with complimentary skill-sets and strive to achieve the desired results via a concerted effort which will allow each individual member to obtain their best effort and at the same  time mask whatever weaknesses they may have.

Groups, like teams can also be made up of people or animals. However, groups can also be formed by joining any manner of inanimate objects such as groups of pictures, groups of trees, groups of cars etc. A group does not have the same power to achieve a common goal like a team.

For the purpose of building then, a team is the superior organization. A group is not associated with being “built”, rather a group would more likely be put together or thrown together. A group just doesn’t have the common purpose or achievable goal that gives a team it’s strength. By building a team we are finding the most qualified individuals or animals for the task at hand. The building process looks closely at individual characteristics and strengths of these individuals. Some members will have superior organizational skills, some may be excellent communicators while others bring the muscle with strong backs.

The team building process looks at the desired end result. What do we want to achieve, how long do we have to achieve it and what different skill sets do we need to get to the desired result? Do we need Lawyers, Doctors, Teachers, Laborers, Athletes? If we are trying to write a book about dinosaurs, are we more likely to need a history professor or a plumber? That’s an easy one but you can see the kinds of questions that must be answered when building a team.

Heads of large corporations, as long ago as the late 1900’s realized the importance and benefit of team building. Since that time the debate has raged over the best way to utilize and how best to harness this new business tool. Many saw “team” as a four-letter word, while to others it became the holy grail. Regardless of whoever is really correct, the question “What is Team Building “ is a topic that will forever be discussed.

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