It is almost impossible to open a business magazine today without some guru exhorting the benefits of working in teams. In many situations teams can achieve far more than individuals working on their own.

The advantages of teams are many:

• Teams bring diverse experiences, knowledge, skills and abilities to bear on problems
• Teams can deal successfully with a variety of issues that are beyond the competence of any one individual
• Teams can succeed with situations which cross department and division lines
• Working on teams can be more satisfying and morale boosting for people than working alone

However, teams are not always effective. They can, in fact, be highly dysfunctional. Teams can develop a 'group think' mentality that can produce bad decisions. They can be disruptive, leading to arguments and discord in the organization. They can be enormously wasteful of people's time and energy.

In short, teams can be very good, but they can also be very bad. In many organizations teams have a critical role to play. Work Teams are used as the basic unit of organization. Problem-Solving Teams are used to improve the way the organization performs, and Management Teams are used to develop strategy and to drive the changes. If the role of teams is to be positive, people must learn how to make them work effectively.

How do you equip your team members with the skills they need to deliver the goods on time, every time?

AdVantage Consulting’s Team Effectiveness Academy prepares employees at all levels for the unique demands of team membership. Modules address the interpersonal challenges and complex work processes associated with teamwork. Whether teams are functional, cross-functional, virtual, remote, conventionally supervised or self-managed, the Team Effectiveness Academy delivers performance breakthroughs that enable your teams to be as high-performing as they were meant to be!!