6 Different Types of Teams (With Teamwork Examples)

Updated June 6, 2024

To understand how to work effectively with colleagues, you may find it beneficial to consider teamwork examples and how they apply to your professional career. Teamwork operates in various ways and helps improve productivity and efficiency. By understanding how to work as an effective team member, you can build strong professional friendships and achieve your team's goals. In this article, we discuss several types of teamwork with helpful examples, list the five phases of teams, consider the benefits of teamwork, and provide tips to improve your teamwork skills.

6 types of teams in the workplace with teamwork examples

Here are six teamwork examples to consider which style is most effective for your unique team dynamic:

1. Functional teams

Functional teams include members of the same department. When working within these teams, you share different responsibilities than other members. Functional teams have leaders or supervisors to whom members report and who designate responsibilities. Organizations commonly use functional teams, which require communication and trust. This type of team may be beneficial to contribute to and prioritize workplace culture.Example: An organization establishes a team within the marketing department to determine which campaigns are most effective. The members of this functional team have a strong understanding of their campaigns and already have the information to make decisions. Team members then use analytics to determine the most effective campaigns and discuss how to write their reports.

2. Cross-functional teams

Cross-functional teams share similarities with functional teams, with the primary difference being that team members come from various departments. These teams are useful for jobs and projects that require different expertise and viewpoints. These teams function best when supervisors and team leaders prioritize communication. Leaders typically delegate responsibilities to members depending on their individual skill sets.Example: A company wants to reallocate funding to develop a new sales department. This company creates a cross-functional team with members from every department. The members of this team analyze their departments to determine how to reallocate funding.Related: How to Develop Cross-Functional Teams for Your Company

3. Self-managed teams

In self-managed teams, employees working within the same organization collaborate to accomplish a common goal. These teams are autonomous and don't need the same supervision as other types of teams. Self-managed teams share both leadership and responsibilities. Startup companies and small businesses often use self-managed teams. When engaging in a self-managed team, you may find it helpful to provide constructive feedback to team members.Example: A sales team wants to redesign their sales pitch. A self-managed team helps members succeed because all members can collaborate to determine a solution.

4. Troubleshooting teams

When issues arise within an organization, troubleshooting teams find solutions for those issues. Their goal is to improve processes for organizations. These teams require strong communication skills to discover solutions for complex obstacles. These teams make recommendations to affected departments, who then implement their recommendations.Example: A company wants to know how to increase the efficiency of its computer systems. It establishes a troubleshooting team from people in the IT department, so experienced staff members apply their specialized skills to the situation. The employer can then decide which changes to make based on what the team finds during their troubleshooting.

5. Project team

Project teams work on specific projects for their employers. Members of project teams typically come from several departments and perform tasks depending on their abilities. These teams have project leaders who assign responsibilities and monitor work.Example: A team needs to create a new company website. Members from the marketing and web development departments collaborate to create the website. Everyone on the team continues to work together on this project until its completion.

6. Task-force teams

Organizations need task force teams when emergencies arise. These teams comprise the most efficient employees within an organization. In task-force teams, employees work exclusively on their tasks within the team. This differs from other teams, which frequently combine an employee's regular caseload with that of the team. The goal of the task force is to complete projects quickly and efficiently.Example: A recent update to an organization's network corrupts its sensitive computer files. The employer establishes a task-force team to determine whether they can save these files.Related:

5 phases of teamwork

Here are five phases of teamwork to consider when working in teams:

1. Training or forming

The training phase, also called the forming phase, is the initial phase of building teams and is the phase where coworkers meet. During this stage, team members build their sense of security among new colleagues. This stage can occur in orientations, when new employees become acquainted for the first time. The team doesn't yet have established roles and responsibilities, and employees tend to feel more motivated.

2. Storm

The storming phase is often where conflict arises. This occurs because employees begin communicating and expressing differing points of view. Team members may disagree on goals, strategy, and responsibilities. In this phase, employees may form subgroups or sub-teams with employees who share their values. Employees reach the next phase by learning how to collaborate despite their differences and by addressing conflicts. Team members in the storming phase search for a leader within the team. This phase defines responsibilities depending on employee capabilities.

3. Normalization

In the normalization phase, employees form implicit rules about the group and learn how to communicate effectively. This occurs because team members form and respect boundaries. Here, the leader of the group emerges naturally if upper management doesn't assign one. Team members develop strong professional friendships and navigate each other's personalities. Employees in the normalization phase experience more workplace comfort and provide coworkers with constructive feedback to improve the team's work.

4. Performance

In this phase, team members have clearly established rules and boundaries that allow them to work cohesively. Employees work toward the responsibilities assigned and ask questions to clarify their tasks. Employees experience increased motivation to work and have strong productivity. This phase focuses on producing results. When conflict arises, employees know how to work toward unified solutions. Team members usually have a strong focus and purpose in this phase when their goals align with their coworkers.Related: 17 Performance Review Tips for Employees

5. Dissolution or adjourning

The dissolution phase, also called the adjourning phase, usually involves a decrease in motivation as the project nears completion. In this phase, employees accomplish their goals once they've produced the intended results. Workloads are smaller in this phase, and supervisors complete all reports and final documentation.

Benefits of teamwork

Here are some benefits of implementing the right approach to teamwork:

Increase productivity

Teamwork increases productivity by encouraging employees to share tasks. When an employee has less work than their colleagues, they can balance the workload by accomplishing additional tasks. Productivity also increases because multiple team members work toward common goals. Teamwork ensures that all employees within a team remain updated and aware of a project's progress.

Discover new ideas

The best teams comprise multiple employees of diverse backgrounds, which ensures employees have varying ideas. When issues arise during projects, employees use these ideas to work toward solutions. These ideas increase productivity by reducing time spent on overcoming obstacles. You may find it helpful to take part in team-building exercises to promote a team culture that accepts new ideas.Related: 18 People Skills for a Productive Work Environment

Improve company culture

Teamwork improves company culture by encouraging collaboration between employees. Team members who have strong professional friendships develop more happiness because they're happy to work. They also work more effectively because they understand how their work affects team members.Related: What is Company Culture? (With a List of Different Types)

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Tips to improve teamwork

Here are some helpful tips to help you improve teamwork:

Identify leadership

Teams require strong leadership to work cohesively. Leaders help establish boundaries and provide team members with clear direction. Leadership provides teams with stability and ensures all members understand which tasks to complete. Leaders emerge while groups are forming. Upper management sometimes assigns group leaders before teams start work.

Communicate regularly

Teams require regular communication to ensure all members remain updated with team progress. Communication helps teams resolve issues and ensures all employees listen to a variety of ideas. Teams require open communication to overcome obstacles and to express ideas clearly. Leaders also need communication skills to state their expectations of employees.

Participate in team-building exercises

To improve teamwork, employers typically conduct team-building exercises. These experiences help employees develop professional friendships. Team-building exercises also contribute to company culture by promoting employee wellbeing and ensuring employees enjoy going to work. Employers may ask staff to attend lunch together and participate in icebreakers to introduce themselves.Related: Importance of Team Building in an Organization (With Tips)

Establish boundaries

Establishing boundaries improves teamwork and prevents conflict. These boundaries provide employers with an indication of which values and standards are most important to colleagues. These boundaries can range from a coworker's need for personal space to avoiding specific topics. Some employees also set boundaries regarding their spare time and refuse to answer any correspondence from coworkers or supervisors during breaks and after the workday ends. By establishing boundaries, employees communicate more effectively and respect their coworkers' limits.

Clarify group purpose

Teams function effectively when they establish their common purpose. This ensures they have a clear direction and allows them to work linearly toward their goals. Groups with a purpose experience more productivity because they work cohesively toward unified goals. When groups are unsure of their purpose, leaders can provide clarity to guide their team.