Science and world

Characteristics of an effective team 
Researchers focus on characteristic related to formation of a team and its tasks, as well as to a potential of 
individuals within the team and relations between them. The literature on the subject includes studies on characteristics 
of an effective team, according to Katzenbach and Smith
[23], or the Perform model according to K. Blanchard [7]. 
When examining the team effectiveness, links both to external factors, i.e., the team's environment, and to 
characteristics represented by the team itself can be noted. Therefore, five features of an effective team can be 
distinguished, after J.R. Katzenbach and D.K. Smith (Table 6)
[23]. 
 
Table 6 
Five characteristics of an effective team 
ITEM 
Feature 
Description 
1 
The team has a goal 
representing a challenge and a 
certain problem for the 
members 
The goals should: 

be specific, understandable and act on imagination;

engage the team emotionally;

be translated into specific tasks indicating an actual, desirable result.
Task specification results in a targeted work and a discussion focusing on 
relevant subjects. Furthermore, it facilitates assessment of previous work of the 
members. 
2 
Work methods accepted by all 
members 
Implementation of schedules for meetings and required works. 
3 
Team members have mutually 
complementary 
interpersonal and specialist 
skills. 
Team is: 

a group of no more than 25 people, 

a set of personalities with the following interpersonal skills: motivating, 
negotiating, and predispositions to create challenges. 
4 
Members are responsible 
towards the team for 
performance of specific work 
undertaken by them. 
The principle “all for one, and one for all” applies. This confirms that the 
responsibility is shared by the entire team. 
5 
The team requires 
commitment of each member 
A key task of the team is a sense of: 

responsibility for correct performance of activities;

duty. 
Source: Opracowanie własne za B. Kożusznik, Zachowania człowieka w organizacji.., op. cit, p. 17.; K. Blanchard et al., 
Przywództwo wyższego stopnia.., op. cit., pp. 145 – 146.; M. Belbin, Nie tylko zespół, Oficyna a Wolters Kluwer business, Warszawa 
2014. 
On a basis of Table 6, it can be seen that creating an effective team requires many actions. The team, on the 
other hand, does not automatically become an outstanding group. This shows that people face many barriers to working 
together, the first and most banal being that teamwork is not an approach developed during standard education.