Leadership and Teamwork in the Public Services
Team Activities
Team types
There are five main team types that can be formed within a work place, including within the public services.
These are formal, informal, temporary, project, and permanent teams. Below I provide the descriptions for
these team types.
Formal: A formal team has a defined structure, and clear membership and goals. They have a senior
management team, and also a monitoring system to ensure tasks are completed on time.
Informal: Informal teams have a more relaxed membership; people can filter in and out as and when needed.
The structure within the team is less defined; but the more relaxed nature of the team means that new ideas
can always be considered and discussed.
Temporary: These teams are short-term, formed quickly to solve a specific problem, disbanding once the
objective has been achieved. Because these teams are formed quickly and do not exist for a long time, the
members of the team are acquired from all different trades and backgrounds and they are usually unfamiliar
with each other. This means that it can sometimes be difficult for the team to gel and work well together,
although they are often effective at seeing things from a fresh perspective and problem solving.
Project: Like temporary teams, project teams are short term, forming to complete a project before disbanding
or moving onto another project. These teams are made up of specialists and a project manager, who ensures
objectives are met on time.
Permanent: Permanent teams are very common within the public services, often presenting themselves as
regiments and units. The members of these teams are very familiar with each other, knowing the strengths
and weaknesses of one another, which is a positive to this team type. However, sometimes introducing change
to a permanent team can prove hard, as they are often very set in their ways and unlikely to accommodate the
changes.
Benefits of teams
Teams present a variety of benefits to people on personal and operational levels, hence why they are used
widely within workforces and indeed the public services. All the benefits are in some way connected, one
benefit aiding another, as I will proceed to explain. Contribution, productivity and effectiveness are increased
when people work in teams, which is a major benefit to any organisation. The public services have millions of
customers, and all of the people relying on them hold the right to expect a response when they are in need.
Therefore, it is essential the emergency and armed services are effective, productive and have a reliable
contribution from personnel of all expertise.
Teams also encourage diversity and reduce alienation; meaning they provide a sense of belonging to
individuals of all backgrounds, ages, religions, and ethnicities, giving them purpose and the feeling they are a
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