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“Discipline of Teams” Paper
The purpose of this paper is to write a summery of the main topics presented in an article written by Katzenbach and Smith called “The Discipline of Teams”. This article was written to show how people, no matter what differences or backgrounds, can come together to function as a team, not just as a group of individuals. In order for individuals to work effectively together, they must be committed to the teams success and they must be able to trust each person within the team to be responsible for his or her assigned tasks (Katzenbach & Smith, 2005, p. 168).
According to Katzenbach and Smith (2005), “Not all groups are teams” (p. 164). They go on to state how Working Groups and Teams differ. Working
Most teams are effective when they are made up of 2 to 25 people (Katzenbach & Smith,
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2005, p. 167). Apparently, to many people with to many ideas can result into more of a headache instead of a productive team, for example: City Counsel or a Board or Directors. These teams are made up of a small number of individuals who are each experienced in one or more fields that come together to make important decisions for the success of the entire team, in this case, a town or a company. The small number allows for everyone to present idea's to resolve the team problems and differences, but help keeps the unity of the team. Some constructive conflict is good for the team, but to much conflict could cause more problems than results.
I currently work on a team that designs custom electric motors that meet the applications that directly relate to the customers needs. I've come to realize that my company implements almost everything I've read in this article. My team is made up of 15 members that have experience in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical design and machinist who have been assembled to work together to produce a product and to meet one overall team goal, to design a quality product that meets our customers requirements. My team is confident in each member and can rely on each other for