ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at why teams have emerged as such a central feature of caring work, discusses what teams are, and explores some of the challenges associated with managing and leading teams. An effective team leader will therefore carry out ‘team maintenance’, by being aware of the team dynamics and proactively facilitating opportunities for the team to work in a cohesive way and for each individual to take an active part in sustaining team cohesion. In managing and maintaining a team, therefore, the manager needs to maintain goal awareness, to ensure the team functions effectively to get the assigned tasks done, and that each member does what they are assigned to do. An essential part of ‘getting the work done’ is the allocation of work tasks and responsibilities. The purpose of delegation is to ensure that there is an appropriate distribution of work across a team.
