Blank slate: Teams differ from organizations in the sense that leaders can start the change management process with a blank slate. You don't have the baggage of previous change efforts to overcome. Likewise, you may not have the positive regard from previous smooth and successful implementation efforts.

Early steps: Think of Change Management for Teams as "winning hearts and minds" from the very beginning. That means choosing people who want to be on the team and are excited to participate (as well as being on your list). It continues with establishing the clear purpose and outcomes that will encourage team commitment and seeing how the team's contributions support the organization. Clarity in terms of how the team will operate will help minimize the challenges and rework in the forming and storming stages. Finally, an early success (often from capturing some "low hanging fruit") will move a new team past the "honeymoon" stage.

Trust, though, will be the key variable. Although the team is just being established, there will be some trust history in the sense of the reputation of the leaders establishing the team, their commitment to supporting similar efforts, and the organization's success rate with previous teams. Do not underestimate the importance of this issue! Establish a climate where people can and do rely on each other, where it is safe to deliver the bad news (early enough so effective action can be taken), etc. Make trust the centerpiece of your efforts to win hearts and minds – within the team, with the leadership that chartered the team, and with the rest of the organization.