A team is a group of individuals, working together, with a common goal. The use of teams in business has changed in the last forty years. In the 1960's teams were used for training and skills for management, in the 1970's they were developed as an "antidote to worker alienation". (Decker, 1996) From the 1980's to the 1990's, teams evolved from a "solution to quality and productivity" to "lean and flexible organizations". (Decker, 1996) A discussion of whether teams are an effective use of company resources is determined by the expected outcome or goals of the team. History has shown that businesses are choosing teams as a method of training and project management because teams are more effective in producing positive results.
             "Like a team racing a sail boat, business teams have to know their destination. The winning team also has a compelling reason for getting there as quickly and efficiently as possible." (Smith, 2004) A business team needs to have a clear and compelling vision as well as a purpose. Without this, a team has difficulty uniting and can lose focus. Imagine the sail boat team during a race. If each member had a different idea of their purpose and destination, the team could not focus on the task at hand, there would be confusion, many conflicts, and progress would be slow. The results would be the same in a business team. Without a "clear and compelling vision or purpose", the team would flounder. (Smith 2004) When a team is formed, these issues need to be written in a team agreement. This way all members know where they are headed, why they are there, and what is expected thus creating unity within the team.
             Teams may have an ineffective or not well-established process. (Smith, 2004) When a team is formed the members need to establish a team charter. Some processes that need to be included in this charter to create an effectiv...