In today's competitive market, organizations want more from their employees; they want employees who can participate in teams to help them achieve greater success. Leaders know that teams offer many advantages over the more traditional distribution of labor, and can provide richer, more diverse solutions to problems. Consequently, today's engineer needs to understand the importance of team skills and teamwork to be successful.

Successful teams can be characterized using the PRIDE acronym, which summarizes much of what we have discussed in this module. PRIDE principles:

Purpose: have a common purpose and goal

Respect: act with mutual respect, trust and support

Individuals: recognize and respect the differences which enhance creativity and collective imagination

Discussion: all teams need open, honest and frequent discussions

Excellence: team should strive for excellence

We have discussed different components and characteristics of teams and teamwork. Obviously, every team is unique. Hopefully, you now have a basic understanding of the complexity of teamwork so you can recognize the elements for and contribute to successful teams throughout your career.

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