Challenges, problems and conflicts that may occur in teams (Teamwork Essay

Challenges, problems and conflicts that may occur in teams (Teamwork vs. Individual work in efficiency of decision making) - Essay Example g need not always be the responsibility of an individual alone, and various professional as well as academic contexts reveal the decision making process taken up jointly by a team. The effectiveness achieved when making individual decisions differs from the effectiveness attained when teams take decisions. However, if a particular decision should be taken by an individual or a team is totally dependent on the nature of the problem that needs to be solved as well as the available time and resources. Therefore, whether decisions made by individuals are more effective from that of teams or vice versa cannot be ultimately stated as each problem differs from the other, thereby requiring unique decisions as well as different forms of decision making. In order to understand the difference in effectiveness arising out of individual and team decisions, one must first be thoroughly understand the concepts of individual and team with reference to decision making. Larson and LaFasto (1989) provide a definition of team, which states that it is a â€Å"unit of two or more people† who engage in interacting as well as coordinating their work in order to â€Å"accomplish a specific goal† (Morden, 2004, p. 248). Katzenbach and Smith further describe the concept of team as a small group of people who possess â€Å"complimentary skills† and are committed to a â€Å"common purpose, performance goals, and approach† for which they are mutually accountable (p. 248). Therefore, team is comprised of two or more individuals who are influenced by a common commitment and who are ready to coordinate their activities in order to take decision regarding a particular problem within a stipulated time frame. There are different t ypes of teams and each category or type has a basis of its own. Morden identifies the different types of teams such as â€Å"permanent or temporary team,† based on the period or purpose for which they are created; â€Å"formal† teams including, vertical and horizontal teams that