Take a few minutes and try to define the word team. Many people would describe the word “team” as a group of people who work together to accomplish a task. It is amazing how many people use the words group and team interchangeably, when in fact they are very different. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a team as “a number of persons associated together in work or activity.” With all due respect to Merriam-Webster, fourth and fifth graders have come up with far better definitions:
“A team is more than a group. A team is well-organized, and trusts each other. A team gets more done because we work together,” said, Amanda age ten.
“A team works hard together and supports each other. I think a team feeds off each other,” added Sean, age twelve.
“You can’t form a team. You can form a group. And slowly a group becomes a team by using these skills, like strategizing,” stated Craig, age ten.
“A team works as one.” Miranda, age eleven.
Arriving at an appropriate definition for teamwork is far from the end objective, far from the goal of managers trying to develop teamwork in their workplace and far from the goals of the 2+2=5 program. We must move from words to actions. This can be done by focusing on the team and interpersonal skills and exercising those skills over time through developmental activities. Managers must leverage opportunities to hone and develop these skills in their employees. These skills extend farther than in the workplace. In addition, families must apply these skills to tighten the family team unit.
Each skill that the 2+2=5 program focuses on: leadership, communication, problem solving, negotiation, diversity, and trust are all essential to the development of high-performing teams. Each team that ever went through the 2+2=5 program demonstrated that teams need at least a minimum amount of each of these skills. You can’t have an effective team if you don’t have at least a little bit of each of these integral team skills and the team must have a mix of skills and talents. For example, you simply can’t have a team of individuals who insist on being the leader and get caught in a whirlwind of power struggle. Teams must find a mix and balance of these skills in order to be successful.
Laura, a fifth grade student, had the last word when she said, “Teamwork is important everyday, in everything we do. Two plus two really can equal five, but we have to work at it!”
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvk/19894053
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