Team

Abstract

This chapter focuses on teams and leadership—both are most influential factors of projects’ success. Consequently, agility highly appreciates and supports them. One agile practice which is highlighted in this chapter is applying a role scheme which fosters the interconnections and dependencies between the members of agile teams and enhances creativity, responsibility, accountability, diversity, and measure collection. The role scheme delivers the message that each team member can contribute to the project also on the team level, beyond his or her individual contribution, and that the mutual contribution of the individuals in the team creates a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. Another agile practice which this chapter deals with is leadership that is the ability to influence people, leading them to behave in a certain way in order to achieve the group’s goals. Leadership is independent of job titles and descriptions. However, leaders usually need the power derived from their organizational position in order to lead. The agile approach suggests a leadership style that emphasizes the team spirit and empowers the team members to be highly committed to the project.