Assessing a High Performance Team

Teamwork in business has become one of the hottest subjects in business and supervision literature. Everywhere you look, there is another article on self-directed teams, self-managing teams, cross-functional teams, project teams, quality improvement teams, and of course, management teams. The primary reason for this is simple.

 

It appears that baby boomers and other people born after World War II like being part of a team. Where their parents relied on themselves, their own skills, their own motivation, and their own ability to get the job done, later generations look to their peers for the support, motivation, and assistance to achieve work-related objectives. Whereas those people born prior to 1946 (the year traditionally used to mark the beginning of the baby boom) generally want to be told what to do and simply allowed to do it, the people born after 1946 want to be involved in as many aspects of their business lives as possible. They want to participate. They want to be “in on things.” They want to know why they are doing the work they are doing. They want to feel they are contributing to a “greater good.” They want to feel they are part of a team.

 

This emerging reality causes us to focus on two fundamental questions:

1. What is the difference between a group of people and a team?
2. What is the difference between a team and a “high performance” team?

The key difference between a group of people and a team is a team is a group of people pulling together in the same direction and dependent on each other for their common success. 

 

The distinction between a team and a high performance team is not so easily drawn. In order for a team to be properly described as high performance, it must possess seven characteristics. These characteristics are: 

1. A mission that motivates 
2. Common goals 
3. Mastery of the fundamentals 
4. A communications system 
5. Trust 
6. A need for continuous improvement and the ability to correct course
7. A task/social mix

When all seven of these characteristics are present, the performance level of a team increases significantly. It moves from average performance to high performance, and its members enjoy the corresponding benefits. Let’s take an in-depth look at each of these characteristics and the role they play in team building efforts.

 

A mission that motivates

A mission raises people above the day-to-day tasks that make up the bulk of what we call work. This is no less important when attempting to focus a team than when attempting to lead individuals. In order for a team to rise above the average, it must have a focus that is above the average. High performance teams have a clearly defined mission. They are able to look beyond the immediately visible and see the future. Most importantly, it is a future that is worth the extra effort required if the team is to distinguish itself through its performance.

 

Common goals

While a mission is the first characteristic of a high performance team, it alone is not enough to unite the individuals who comprise the team. Somewhere along the path to exceptional performance, that mission must be converted into specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based goals – goals that can be seen and touched.

 

Organizations invest a considerable amount of time, effort, and energy in establishing strategic goals, annual performance plans, and budgets. Once established, these goals should be measured on a regular basis. If you learn about and pay attention to these planning functions, you should be able to connect the vision of your mission with your actions as team members.

 

Mastery of the fundamentals

Once a team has a mission that motivates its performance and goals to direct its activity, it is essential the individuals who comprise the team have the skills necessary to successfully achieve the first two characteristics. Average teams have ability. High performance teams master the fundamentals. They know the basic skills of their work so well their execution of those basics is instinctive.

 

A communications system

On closer examination, however, you would find the main reason people feel communication is a problem is there is often no real agreement as to what they should be meeting or talking about. The business world does not suffer from a lack of communication, but rather from unfocused communication. Everyone is talking; we just are not talking about the same things.

 

High performance teams do not just communicate, they agree as to what the communication should center around. They have a system for communication.

 

Trust

Whenever two or more people work together, the question of trust is bound to be raised.

 

High performance team members understand there are three different kinds of trust that must exist if true trust is to exist. Those three kinds of trust are:

1. Disclosure trust is the trust that exists when any member of a team believes he or she can say absolutely anything to any other team member without fear of being criticized, ridiculed, or talked about behind his or her back.
2. Contractual trust is knowing when someone makes a commitment to you, they have every intention of keeping that commitment – at the time it is made.
3. Informational trust is the ability to trust what a person says to you is, to the best of that person’s knowledge, true, complete, and accurate.

A need for continuous improvement and the ability to correct course

All teams perform at some level. High performance teams perform at a level consistently above the average team. One reason is they are never satisfied with their present level, whatever it might be. They consistently strive for continuous improvement as a natural part of their day-to-day activities. Course correction is the ability to realize you are going down the wrong path and having the courage to change direction. This is often easier said than done because it sometimes requires an admission that an earlier decision was wrong.

 

A task/social mix

The final characteristic of high performance teams may seem trivial at first, but upon closer examination you will find it is actually the result of the presence of the first six elements. This seventh characteristic is a task/social mix. Sometimes referred to as the “beer and pizza syndrome,” task/social mix is the ability of team members to enjoy and appreciate each other’s company on a personal, as well as a professional basis. It is the ability to grow and improve from simply being together, regardless of the setting.

 

As you invest your energies in building a high performance team, it is essential you understand the role each of these characteristics plays in your efforts. All are required if you are to build a truly high performance team. Most importantly, you, as a member of your team, must constantly and objectively evaluate your team’s progress toward them. The status of being a high performance team does not come without effort. The results, however, are clearly worth the work.

 

Everyone enjoys being part of a winning team. Research shows that winning teams demonstrate certain characteristics and patterns of behavior. By assessing how frequently and effectively your team demonstrates these characteristics, you will be able to make improvements that are necessary to become a truly high performance team. For more information on how to embark upon a High Performance Team Assessment, call us toll-free at 1-800-999-6615, email us at mail@tweedweber.com, and/or visit us on the web at www.tweedweber.com. Also, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn (Tweed-Weber, Inc.) and Twitter (@TweedWeber).