Team work is essential for effective business. No employee, not matter how talented they are, works in a bubble. The problem with teams, however, is that they are made up of individuals who sometimes have competing ideas and personalities. These differences, in one sense, can be valuable (i.e. during brainstorming or creative sessions), but they can also lead to conflict. So how can managers put together effective, productive teams and skip all the drama? Here are three tips for creating productive teams at work:

• Make sure there is a shared goal – make sure everyone on the team is in agreement with what they are trying to accomplish. This shared goal is important in helping team members make a commitment to see it through to the end. It is hard for people to be dedicated to a cause if they are unsure of what the cause actually is!
• Segment the end goal in to stages – in most cases, a goal will not be accomplished over night. Have the team break the project into several stages and work piecemeal to accomplish the larger goal. Achieving these smaller goals will act as a psychological “win” for the team and encourage them to complete the task at hand.
• Size matters – There are numerous theories out there about the number of employees needed for optimal performance on a team. Make sure that there are enough team members to carry the workload, but not too many that the group falls into discord (too many cooks in the kitchen). Somewhere between 5 and 9 people is a good rule of thumb.

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