Characteristics of effective teams:

Effective healthcare teams often elude consistent definition because of the complexity of teamwork. Systems theory offers a dynamic view of teamwork, in which input conditions are transformed via optimum throughput processes into maximal output. This article describes eighteen characteristics of effective teams across input conditions and teamwork processes, which have been identified from the literature. Background Research into team effectiveness has traditionally searched for characteristics of effective teams. Quantitative evaluations of specific interventions have largely been inconclusive and emphasised the need for further research (Schwartzmann 1986). The complexity of team functioning precludes reducing teams to their least number of components. Rather, a systems theory approach recognises the relationships and interdependence between and within teams. Given the importance of teamwork to delivering healthcare, a better understanding of how teams function effectively will be invaluable for educating and developing teams. This article will summarise and evaluate characteristics that create and maintain teams in healthcare environments. Defining the context There is broad consensus in the literature about the defining features of teams. Katzenbach and Smith (1993