The Benefits of Being a Team Member

1. Ownership - As a team member you gain ownership of your work. You may benefit from what you produce or gain a level of pride from what is accomplished. You accept the responsibility and receive the benefits of success and suffer the risk of failure.

2. Accountability - A team member is accountable to other team members. This usually means that as a team member you must be aware of the impact your actions and decisions affect others in the team. You also need to be aware of how other member’s actions affect you. You are all accountable to each other.

3. Permission - Team members also gain permission. Decision-making comes from team members although a team leader still might make the final decision.

4. Acceptance - To become a member of a team means to become part of a larger whole. Each team member needs to feel accepted into the team – this acceptance comes in 2 ways. The first is that your special talents/skills are recognised, the second is that your personality will strengthen the team.

5. Forgiveness - No blame should be attached to anyone’s actions. No one can be ‘fired’ from a group- it is not about winning or losing. All team members should accept a failure if it occurs.

Reference:  “Team Roles at Work” by M. Belbin,1993