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Team Charters

Background

"An intervention which focuses on the development of team processes and in turn the development of emergent states…Some common content addressed in [team charters] includes purpose/mission statements, operating guidelines, behavioral norms, and performance management processes" (Shuffler et al., 2018, p. 719).

Team charters enhance team effectiveness by outlining team norms and operational guidelines.

Signs that indicate a team might benefit from a team charter intervention include: unclear roles and responsibilities, ineffective communication, frequent disagreements or conflicts, missed deadlines, uneven contributions from members (social loafing), and difficulty adapting to changes or challenges. These issues often stem from a lack of shared expectations and agreed-upon processes, which a team charter can directly address.

  • Shuffler, M. L., DiazGranados, D., Salas, E., & Coutu, D. L. (2018). Developing, sustaining, and maximizing team effectiveness—An integrative, dynamic perspective of team development interventions. Academy of Management Annals, 12(2), 688–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2016.0045

Relevant Readings

  • Egeland, T., & Schei, V. (2015). “Cut me some slack”: The psychological contracts as a foundation for understanding team charters. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 51(4), 451–478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886314566075
    • Egeland and Schei (2015) found that well-functioning teams develop explicit psychological contracts through team charters and are able to "cut each other some slack" by tolerating short-term imbalances. They also found that teams with explicit contracts have better cooperation and commitment.
  • Egeland, T., Schei, V., & Tjølsen, Ø. A. (2017). Expecting the unexpected: Using team charters to handle disruptions and facilitate team performance. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 21(1), 53–59. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000059
    • Egeland, Schei, and Tjølsen (2017) found that teams that develop team charters are better able to handle disruptive events and have increased performance. The development of a team charter helps teams to be more resilient and adapt in turbulent environments.
  • Johnson, K., & Horn, D. (2019). Mitigating the impact of social loafing through the use of team charters and team evaluations. Journal of Education and Human Development, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v8n4a3
    • Johnson and Horn (2019) discuss how team charters and team evaluations can mitigate social loafing. They specify that team charters should include norms, responsibilities, and sanctions.
  • Kirkpatrick, M., Cullen, M., & Kelly, P. (2022). Using a team charter to promote leadership skills and effective team functioning. Nurse Educator, 47(6), 354–355. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001221
    • Kirkpatrick, Cullen, & Kelly (2022) discuss using team charters to promote effective team functioning and leadership skills in nursing students. The team charter includes both task-based and relational elements and guides team communication, strengths, and strategies.