Types of teams

Transcipt: Exercise — Types of teams

Hello. This is Ken Taylor from London. In his latest article for Business Spotlight, Bob Dignen looks at the topic of teamwork and suggests that there are two types of teams: the “we-teams” and the “I-teams”. Bob defines a “we-team” as a group of individuals who work very closely together, taking joint decisions and creating joint results. On the other hand, Bob defines an “I-team” as a collection of individuals working more in isolation but coordinated by a leader. In this exercise, you will hear a number of statements about teamwork. In the pause after each statement, decide which type of team is being described. Is it an “I-team” or a “we-team”? Ready? Let’s begin with the first statement.

1. pooledgebündelt, konzentriertPooled expertiseFachwissenexpertise during problem-solving leads to better decisions.
→ This describes a “we-team”.

2. Roles and responsibilities should be clearly segmentedgegliedert, aufgeteiltsegmented.
→ This describes an “I-team”.

3. cross-departmentalabteilungsübergreifendCross-departmental working overcomes the problems of “siloismetwa: isolierte Betrachtungs- und Vorgehensweisesiloism”, in which each department works alone.
→ This is “we-team” thinking.

4. Individual working promotes entrepreneurialunternehmerisch (denkend)entrepreneurial, risk-taking and creative talents.
→ This is “I-team” thinking.

5. Collective decision-making often takes longer to get to a decision.
→ This describes a disadvantage of the “we-team” approachHerangehensweise, Methodeapproach and a potential advantage of an “I-team” approach.

6. Interaction is more interesting and more motivating than working alone.
→ This is definitely “we-team” thinking.

7. Giving power to team leaders helps develop strong future leaders for the organization.
→ This is “I-team” thinking, looking at the need to develop individual skills.

8. The sharing of insightErkenntnisinsights can deliver more innovative solutions.
→ “We-team” thinking.

Well done. In his article, Bob Dignen says that the “we-team” approach is the one most commonly advocated as the best approach to teamwork. But as he argues, there is a place for the “I-team”, too. For example, in the case of distance working, as there is evidence that remote teams work better if tasks are individualized, with a minimum need to exchange ideas. Think about your own team: How do you work together, more as an “I-team” or a “we-team”? And is your team’s approach the optimal one?