Clear unity of purpose—members must agree upon a purpose and the discrete tasks for getting to where the team needs to be and openly discuss and align objectives, ensuring that they are meaningful for and committed to by each team member.
Operating system—the team must have an explicit and mutually agreed-upon approach to its mechanics, norms, expectations, rules, etc. and be self-conscious about the team’s operations, taking the time to explicitly discuss the “group’s process” (the team’s interpersonal and group behavior in its pursuit of its objectives), and determine the cadence for how often the team meets and how its business will be managed and discussed—a typical agenda begins with a review of the team’s performance (metrics and people), the resolution of issues (problem solving), and ends with a discussion of what’s next.
Measured performance—the team must set clear and demanding performance goals (including deliverables, skills and behaviors), translate them into well-defined milestones for each member and the whole, and review them frequently.
Defined and aligned roles—all roles and tasks must be assigned and aligned within the team and with all stakeholders (including shared purpose, measures, inclusion in its operating system, etc.).
Relaxed, inclusive and comfortable atmosphere— members should freely express their feelings and ideas, working through its tensions to establish a working atmosphere in which people are involved and interested. Teams should have considerable discussion in which everyone participates; if discussion gets off track, there should be a process for getting back on track; members must actively listen to each other, with members freely sharing creative thought even if it seems extreme— every idea should be voiced and heard; disagreement should be viewed positively and not be prematurely suppressed or overridden without careful examination and resolution; when basic disagreements cannot be resolved, the team should put them in a parking lot (for later consideration) and continue its business or get outside help if important.
Able to fail fast and iterate—teams should determine the consequences and allow for failure (and how failure can become a future success) and frequently stop to examine how well it is doing and what may be interfering with its operation.
Committed and accountable—each member must meet or exceed the expectations of her/his teammates and be respectful of the mechanics of the team, arriving on time, coming to meetings prepared, completing agreed upon tasks on time, etc.; when action is taken, clear assignments are made (who does what to whom by when), accepted and completed.
Feedback is frequent, frank and actionable—feedback, including criticism, should be constructive and focused on helping people develop in role, achieve the work of the team and remove obstacles the team or its members face.
Leadership is shared—in a self-regulating team, the issue should never be who is in control but how best to get the job done; leadership in the team should be accordant with the work—who ever is responsible/accountable for the task should be in the lead. As noted earlier, decision-making and problem solving is a function of the team and not dependent on an individual in charge—authority should be shared across the team.
Follow-up—the team’s work should be well documented and followed-up on; the team must periodically take stock of its business and actively develop its processes, its relationships with its stakeholders and its members.

* MacGregor, 2006; Kaztenbach and Smith, 2006; Maltz, 2005, 2014.