Clear goals are essential so that all team members comprehend the purpose and vision of the team. It is important to recognize where the team is going. Defined roles is important for the team to understand their job purpose and for leaders to tap into the skills and talents of each team member. Open and clear communication is one of the most important characteristics that an effective team needs. Problems that develop in groups can often be traced back to communication, or lack of communication. Effective decision making methods can help a team make well-organized decisions. Balanced participation can eliminate overload from each team member. This reduces stress and tiredness, and helps weed out lazy team members. Valued diversity helps with thinking, idea creating, problem solving, and experiences to produce an effective team. Managed conflict is necessary for team development. It is important that issues are not unnoticed and circumvented in the team. This helps improve creativity because the team will need to look beyond current assumptions. A positive atmosphere will help any team become effective. Compliant relationships help team members to work together for the good of the team. Participative headship is shared among the team members at various times. As you can see, we need clear goals, defined roles, open and clear communication, effective decision making, balanced participation, valued diversity, managed conflict, positive atmosphere, cooperative relationships, and participative leadership to make an effective team. An effective team works together, and completes all goals to the best of their ability.

Each role affects teamwork differently. We need roles to complete an effective team. Depending whether its formal roles or informal roles they are needed for the success of the team. Formal roles consist of a leader. A leader leads the team. The leader encourages the rest of the team into having a strong emphasis on succeeding in their goals. R. Meredith Belbin claims that groups work best when “there is a balance of primary roles and when team members know their roles, work to their strengths, and actively manage weaknesses.” Without the key components of roles, the team may struggle to complete their task. Not being able to complete tasks can cause the team to fail. Most people that are members of teams, groups, organizations, and clubs are there because they have specific needs. We need to be able to belong, involved, and to feel accepted. Without these needs it would be hard to want to be a part of a team. Group diversity helps the team in so many ways. Team members can learn from one another, and possibly walk away with new skills. Diversity allows creative ideas, better ways to approach problems, an abundance of different skills, and different ways to approach problems. Roles, needs, and diversity all play a major role in effective teamwork. With all these things our team may be boring, harder to find solutions, and less ideas.

Components of group diversity includes age diversity, gender diversity, diversity of abilities, ethnic diversity, and social diversity. All of these different things can either help or hinder a team. Age diversity can bring more experienced staff, college graduates, high school students, and even older people. It is known that having gender diversity can bring a more harmonious relationship among the team members. Diversity of abilities can be great for team members. This can help team members to acquire new skills. Ethnic diversity has its good and bad factors. It is all based on other team members and their thoughts and believes. Social diversity is rarely even mentioned. Social diversity can bring together teams with different lifestyles, hobbies, interest, and concerns.