Understanding the Many Factors that Affect the Success of Organizational Work Teams

After years of experience and research, one might conclude that organizations are confident in their ability to optimize the use of teams. In reality, we do not have to look far to find instances where team performance falls disappointingly short. This article examines the reasons for the success or failure of three organizational work teams. Using information gained from structured interviews involving team members, team leaders, and managers, a set of value-added findings are reached that explain why a particular team was or was not successful. This paper also presents original quantitative research that examined a variety of factors that affect work team success. It presents insights into a set of important factors that can affect team performance, particularly new findings regarding team size as well as the kind of organizational team model employed. The article concludes with a set of recommendations and policy implications derived from the research.