Key elements on team achievement: a retrospective analysis

This study is a historical reconstruction and in-depth scrutiny of one very successful team initiative within a Quality Improvement (QI) program in a municipal government organization. The identification of the essential concepts that contributed to the team's success and their integration into a local explanatory theory of team achievement is the final purpose of the study. The focus of this retrospective study is on the team process, with primary attention given to team members' perspectives and reflections on the project development. Data collection and analysis were conducted with methods drawn from the qualitative research tradition and from Quality Management. Main findings point to the importance of consistent management support, correct team composition with an emphasis on the team leader choice and demeanor, and to the central role of training in the group conduct. The negotiated approach to decision-making employed by the team, which reflected its organizational context, and the effort and mechanisms that allowed the group to reach equilibrium between internal and external interests proved critical for its ultimate achievement.