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Q3 What Are the Four Primary Purposes of Collaboration? 41

their goals: make a decision, solve a problem, or create a work product. Whatever the objective
is, the first success criterion is, “Did we do it?”
Although not as apparent in student teams, most business teams also need to ask, “Did we
do it within the time and budget allowed?” Teams that produce a work product too late or far
over budget are not successful, even if they did achieve their goal.

Growth in Team Capability

The other two criteria are surprising to most students, probably because most student teams are
short-lived. But, in business, where teams often last months or years, it makes sense to ask, “Did
the team get better?” If you’re a football fan, you’ve undoubtedly heard your college’s coach
say, “We really improved as the season progressed.” (Of course, for the team with 2 wins and 12
losses, you didn’t hear that.) Football teams last only a season. If the team is permanent, say a
team of customer support personnel, the benefits of team growth are even greater. Over time, as
the team gets better, it becomes more efficient; thus, over time the team provides more service
for a given cost or the same service for less cost.
How does a team get better? For one, it develops better work processes. Activities are
combined or eliminated. Linkages are established so that “the left hand knows what the right
hand is doing,” or needs, or can provide. Teams also get better as individuals improve at their
tasks. Part of that improvement is the learning curve; as someone does something over and
over, he or she gets better at it. But team members also teach task skills and give knowledge to
one another. Team members also provide perspectives that other team members need.

Meaningful and Satisfying Experience

The third element of Hackman’s definition of team success is that team members have a mean-
ingful and satisfying experience. Of course, the nature of team goals is a major factor in making
work meaningful. But few of us have the opportunity to develop a life-saving cancer vaccine or
safely land a stricken airliner in the middle of the Hudson River in winter. For most of us, it’s a
matter of making the product, or creating the shipment, or accounting for the payment, or find-
ing the prospects, and so on.
So, in the more mundane world of most business professionals, what makes work meaningful?
Hackman cites numerous studies in his book, and one common thread is that the work is perceived
as meaningful by the team. Keeping prices up to date in the product database may not be the most
exciting work, but if that task is perceived by the team as important, it will become meaningful.
Furthermore, if an individual’s work is not only perceived as important, but the person do-
ing that work is also given credit for it, then the experience will be perceived as meaningful. So,
recognition for work well done is vitally important for a meaningful work experience.
Another aspect of team satisfaction is camaraderie. Business professionals, just like stu-
dents, are energized when they have the feeling that they are part of a group, each person doing
his or her own job and combining efforts to achieve something worthwhile that is better than
any could have done alone.

Q3 What Are the Four Primary Purposes

of Collaboration?

Collaborative teams accomplish four primary purposes:
• Become informed
• Make decisions
• Solve problems
• Manage projects