This thesis investigates the research question: What is the individual's experience within a work team? The concern is for respondents' meaning and understanding of the team experience and how team membership impacts their lives. The introductory chapter considers the researcher's concerns leading to the formulation of this question, including the uncritical nature of much of the literature on teams and the limited attention given to impacts and outcomes for individual team members. These concerns are expanded further in a review of both current and extant literature on teams. The current research is predominantly focused on team effectiveness and productivity, and this research is examined before moving on to review research conducted into individual factors relating to teams using a qualitative research methodology. The Heideggerian phenomenology, used in this study, is discussed. Data analysis is outlined. The research methods lead to the development of the model, comprising four themes. The first theme discusses respondents' concerns regarding the positioning of their immediate team within broader team structures within the organisation. Next, respondents' desire for, and expectation of, support from within the team is considered. The third theme, ambiguity,examines the uncertainty experienced by respondents with respect to team goals. Finally, respondents' experiences of dissonance and incongruity with relation to their teams are discussed, again considering the related issues of organisational rhetoric and sensemaking. The implications for organisations is discussed, and avenues for future research are presented. / Master of Commerce (Hons)