Structuring Project Teams and
Building Cohesiveness
Presentation by
Gwen A. Little
CEP 812 - 2/3/99
Characteristics of Project Teams
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Definition: a team is a collection of
individuals who work together to attain a
goal.
Project team members
• often borrowed - brief exposure to project effort
• work on piece of project - when done move on
to other projects
• may not recognize they are part of a team -
Characteristics cont’d.
• Therefore incapable of developing team spirit project commitment
Team Efficiency vs. Inefficiency
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Team Efficiency is defined as team
performance that is actually achieved.
Ex: Team accomplishing a small portion of
what it could - efficiency low
Team achieving as much as possible
efficiency is high
What causes team inefficiency?

Matrix Based Frictions
• projects dependent on temporarily borrowed
staff
• lack of staff continuity
• project manager’s lack of direct control over
project staff and material resources
Inefficiency cont’d.
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Poor communication - large amount of time
spent sending and receiving messages
Information atherosclerosis communication channels so clogged that
important information has difficulty making
it through
Garbled messages - messages passed along
from one person to another get changed
Team Structure

ISOMORPHIC TEAM STRUCTURE
Iso= equal or same Morph= form or shape
Two things share the same structural
appearance
 Advantages
• organization simple - accountability clear
• parallel implementation of tasks
Structure Cont’d.
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SPECIALTY TEAM STRUCTURE
Team members asked to apply their special
expertise across a wide array of tasks
high levels of responsibility lack
corresponding levels of authority
Deficiencies - figure 3.3 p. 94
• accountability diffuse
• unequal distribution of work
• work alone work may not be well integrated
Structure Cont’d.

Advantages
• high degree of self management
• expertise applied where appropriate

EGOLESS TEAM STRUCTURE
• should be difficult to determine who produced
what portion of the product
• no obvious leader
• decisions achieved through consensus
Structure Cont’d.
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Project tasks reflect input of all team
members
Encourages high levels of interactivity and
communication among project members
Criticisms
• doesn’t work because people have egos
• those with talent want to make their
contribution stand out
Structure cont’d.
• Lack of leadership - team starts to drift

How can this work?
• Team size must be small
• Must work together continuously

SURGICAL TEAM STRUCTURE
• All attention focuses on a single individual and
his or her abilities
Structure cont’d.

Disadvantage
• requires superlatively capable individual to
play role of the surgeon

Surgical team approach most effective on
design projects that entail large amounts of
writing
Creating Team Identity

Make the team tangible
• effective use of meetings
• team members see they are not working alone
• colocation of team members
• members work together in a common space
• War rooms - contain the most significant project
documentation
• create a team name
Building a Reward System
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Letters of commendation
Public recognition for good work
Job assignments
Flexible work time
New equipment goes to best workers
Recommendation for cash awards and
bonuses
Personal Touch
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Be supportive (physical, psychological)
Be clear
Learn something about team members
Celebrate special occasions
Be accessible
• enlist an open door policy