Teams can produce innovative solutions to complex problems, enabling organizations to be faster, more responsive, more competitive, and more successful in meeting their missions. These kinds of results are not guaranteed, however. When an organization sponsors a team, it is usually to address a challenge deemed essential to organizational success. Meeting that challenge might mean implementing new ways of working, entering new markets, or developing a new product. Though teams can produce innovative solutions, leading them toward that goal can be difficult. Starting the team off on the right foot is critical to its success. To launch a team in a way that increases its chance of success, managers and team leaders should pay attention to four critical points: setting purpose and direction, defining roles and responsibilities, designing procedures and practices, and building cooperation and relationships. Understanding and implementing these elements are key to a successful launch and, in fact, essential to a team's achieving the organization's goals. A mission statement worksheet is provided to help define needed team characteristics and working parameters. Exercises allow assessing team member capabilities including whether personalities, ideals, and behaviors will mesh well. (RT)