Making the Team: A Guide for Managers

Team Longevity: Routinization Versus Innovation Trade-Offs

Teams whose members work together for longer periods of time are more likely to develop a TMS and will, therefore, be more productive. However, there is a countervailing force at work in teams that have been together for long periods of time; namely, routinization. That is, because a TMS is basically a set of expectations, certain working relationships may become entrenched over time. For example, Joe always handles the design aspects, so the team can (implicitly) trust him to ensure the product will look good; Sally always handles the technical aspects, so the team can trust that she will make sure the product works; and likewise for the channeling of information, and so on. This suggests ...