What is teamness?

 

There is really is no teamness around here… What we need is teamness!

…We need a little background to understand the unfolding circumstances leading to this frustration of this very able lady… The organization of just under 100 members of staff had recently undergone reorganization into business teams… formed to create efficient workflows throughout the business. Indeed structural teams had been achieved in terms of layout and staffing. Everything about forming teams had essentially been achieved… "the managers view of teams as groups organized in team structure, but not behaving as teams"… The team must be as much a team in nature as it is in form…the managers gut feel was that these teams could achieve far more. She believed the teams were operating far below their potential simply because of lack of teamness or tem essense.

Excerpts from Effective Teams  By Allan Bukusi, 2003

The concept of teamness is not a typographic error. It is an intangible feature of a team's performance and ability to succeed. Because corporate teams are mainly assembled for their technical skill and prowess this aspect of teamwork is often downplayed at the beginning, but inevitably shows up in the field when pressure and problems build up.   At this point, some people get fired and others get fired up. The smart leader will think about (re)kindling teamness to see the team through to success.

Allan Bukusi