Team ground rules: Their nature and functions

Abstract

Teams are complex relational systems. Effective team functioning depends on members willingness to coordinate and work together. Ground rules play a fundamental but frequently ignored role in this process. We define ground rules as the mutual agreements informally established by members to regulate team functioning. These agreements may subsequently be rendered formal or explicit. The nature and functions of ground rules (including as social-normative tools for handling paradoxes) are discussed, as well as the forms/types they assume. Rules for setting ground rules, as well as the role team leaders may play in facilitating the emergence of effective ground rules are also considered. • Ground rules are the mutual agreements informally established by members of a team to regulate team functioning • Ground rules pervade team functioning, however, given their often implicit nature, they have not received much research attention. • The phrase “ground rules” was initially introduced for describing rules agreed upon by teams for playing a game of baseball within a specific grounds or venue. • Ground rules help teams navigate paradoxes, serving as scaffolding strategies for handling contradictions.