Definition 1 of 2
Definition
TEAM is a risk management memory aid used to identify the four options available for handling a recognized hazard: Transfer the risk to someone else better equipped to manage it, Eliminate the risk entirely by avoiding the activity, Accept the risk when the benefits outweigh the costs, or Mitigate the risk by taking actions that reduce its likelihood or severity.
Plain English
Once you've spotted a risk, you have four choices for what to do about it: hand it off to someone else, remove it completely, live with it, or take steps to make it smaller.
Context Anchor
Used in aviation instruction and preflight decision-making when an instructor or pilot is deciding how to handle a hazard before or during a flight.
Derivation
TEAM is an acronym formed from the first letter of each of the four risk-handling options: Transfer, Eliminate, Accept, Mitigate. The everyday meaning of 'team' (a group working together) is unrelated and used here only as a memory hook.
Why Pilots Care
Good teamwork catches errors before they become accidents and supports better decisions under pressure.
Intuition Check
TEAM does not mean a group of people here. In this context, TEAM is a decision tool made from four action words: Transfer, Eliminate, Accept, and Mitigate.
Example Sentence 1
After identifying icing as a risk for the cross-country flight, the pilot applied TEAM and chose to eliminate the risk by delaying departure until conditions improved.
Example Sentence 2
Effective risk mitigation requires every member of the team to speak up when they notice a problem.