It is important to understand the problems of forming new teams and the type of development a team goes through before it can get down to work and, as nearly all projects are made up of teams working together, it is especially relevant to project team formation.

Having the right team in place to deliver your project will be a key factor in meeting project objectives successfully.

Team formation can be difficult to those inexperienced or unused to working in teams.

Group dynamism is the name given to the system of relationships and behaviour which exists in any group of people. A group or team has certain attributes that a random crowd does not possess.

Today many organisations recognise that they have become too preoccupied with the qualities of the individual people. But more and more companies are learning that teams have more benefits, the synergy of the team, than the sum of the individual parts.

As well as these attribute teams (or rather working in teams) have certain benefits.

• Team synergy generates more output than the sum of the individual inputs.


• The team can offer a wide range of technical support.


• Many people are more successful working within a team or partnership than working alone.


• It is the team that is the key for sustaining and enduring management success.


• A team can build up a store of shared experiences. Information and judgement which can be passed on to new team members.

Excerpts from The University of Sunderland BA (Honours) Business Management, courtesy Resource Development International (RDI) Jamaica.www.rdijamaica.com