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Do You Have Teams?
I have been fortunate. From the beginning of my work career over 25 years ago, I have worked in organizations that had formal process improvement teams. Because I served in a management capacity in these organizations, I also had the opportunity to serve as a team member, leader, and/or facilitator on over 300 different teams. I have also learned over these years however that while organizations do basically have three types of teams, they don't necessarily see these teams as being 'formal'. Additionally, they may give these teams different names. If you look at the role a given team plays in the organization's pursuit of its performance goals, you will find that it fits into one of the three team types described on this page.
High performance organizations recognize that (1) all three team types are mandatory for an effective pursuit of process excellence and (2) a defined team infrastructure which includes all three team types is a key tool for obtaining high levels of employee engagement. These organizations also employ the systems that are necessary to help ensure high levels of effectiveness for all three team types. What does your organization do to consistently improve the effectiveness of its work (process) and focus teams? What percentage of your workforce is engaged as members of a formal process improvement team (such as a lean (kaizen) team or a six sigma project team)? How do you measure team effectiveness? What processes do you use to consistently improve the effectiveness of your team leaders?
Select the type of team that you would like to learn more about from the list provided below to go directly to that type. You can also review the summary matrix that is provided to gain a 'big picture' view of how the three team types compare to each other. Additional details on team function, purpose, and makeup for each team types are also provided on this page, below the summary matrix.
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Team Characteristics Summary Matrix |  |
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What are PROCESS teams? | ||
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What are PROJECT teams? | ||
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What are FOCUS teams? |
What are the characteristics of each of the three main team types? Back to Top
Characteristic |
Process Teams |
Project Teams |
Focus Teams |
Average Team Size |
Depends on process
structure |
4 to 8 people |
6 to 8 people |
Representation |
Job specific |
Cross-functional |
Cross-functional |
Meeting Frequency |
Ideally every day
for at least 5 minutes |
Depends on project
need and urgency |
1 to 4 times a month |
Primary Focus |
Key processes and
measures for the daily job |
Key project that has
been selected or assigned |
Key performance area which the team exists to focus on |
Voluntary or Mandatory? |
Mandatory |
Voluntary or mandatory |
Mandatory only for
management |
Limits to growth |
None - necessary for
process support |
Team support resources
that are available |
Number of key performance
areas and/or systems |
Performance Focus |
Continuous improvement |
Innovation / systems
change |
Continuous improvement of key work systems via systems changes |
Key Measures |
Key in-process measures |
Project cycle time, project cost,
and goal attainment |
Key results performance
indicators |
Team Leader(s) |
Usually supervisor
or lead person, but can rotate across all team members over time |
Depends on skill level
and time available |
Normally a member
of management (system or process owner) |
Alternative Names |
Work teams, self-directed work teams |
Kaizen blitz teams, tiger teams, quality circles, process improvement teams, problem solving teams, six sigma teams |
Safety committee, recognition committee, leadership team, planning team, steering committee, waste reduction team, standing team |
What are PROCESS Teams? Back to Top
A process team is a group of employees that meets regularly to:
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The group's makeup (size, membership, and stability) is primarily influenced by:
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What are PROJECT teams? Back to Top
A project team is a cross-functional group of employees that meets regularly to:
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The group's makeup (size, membership, and stability) is primarily influenced by:
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What are FOCUS teams? Back to Top
A focus team is a cross-functional group of employees that meets regularly to:
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The group's makeup (size, membership, and stability) is primarily influenced by:
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Would you like to learn more about teams and high performance? Back to Top
Click on one of the following links to learn even more about how to help the teams you already have in place, and those that you might be thinking about using, even more effective:.
| Copyright ©
2008, Great Systems! LLC Last Revised - May 31, 2008 |
For more information,
please contact me at: kevin@greatsystems.com |
Great Systems! 206.226.8913 |