group—go about their jobs independently and meet primarily to work towards a shared objective. A group of departmentstore managers, for example, might meet monthly to discuss their progress in cutting...

group—go about their jobs independently and meet primarily to work towards a shared objective. A group of departmentstore managers, for example, might meet monthly to discuss their progress in cutting plant costs. However, each manager is focused on the goals of his or her department because each is held accountable for meeting those goals. Some Key Characteristics of Teams To put teams in perspective, let’s identify five key characteristics. Teams:5 1) Share accountability for achieving specific common goals 2)