Teamwork has long been recognised for its potential to improve organisational performance, and the evidence is clear. Great teams achieve better results through superior problem solving, decision making, creativity and innovation.
The benefits extend beyond the bottom line. Teamwork enables people to connect and work towards achieving common goals with energy and focus. When they do this well, they deliver more together than apart.
Being part of a great team helps individuals learn and grow, especially when team members bring diverse perspectives and experiences. In addition, it’s a known factor in staff retention because working in a high-performing team is motivating and energising.
Over the last couple of years, local, regional and global organisations have embraced the need and preference of employees for more flexible working. As a result, new demands exist for how people connect, communicate and collaborate.
As great teams are the ultimate key to working in a coordinated and integrated way, the demand for leaders skilled in building effective teams has significantly increased.
In 2021, Korn Ferry reported that this is among the top 10 skills of senior executives in companies ranked highest on the Drucker Institute’s measures of corporate effectiveness.
Teams Effectiveness
High-performing teams don’t happen by chance. Instead, they must be nurtured from start-up to maturity through five phases of team development.
Team leaders play a vital role in the growth and success of their teams. So, where should they start? The classic definition of a team, by Katzenbach and Smith, has some clues:
“A team is a small number of people, with complementary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”.
These words capture the foundation of team effectiveness: talent, purpose, commitment, goals and accountability.
Add in trust, collaboration, and the ability to plan and execute successfully, and you have the ingredients of a high-performing team.
To discover the potential talent within your team read, ‘Five reasons to unlock the talent in your team’.
Where Are You Now?
What do you need to level up the performance of your team? Perhaps you:
- Are a newly formed team, wanting a clear plan to become a well-functioning team right from the start.
- Have a new leader or new members joining your team, prompting a review of current team practices.
- Face a significant internal or external threat compelling you to find ways to deal with the situation quickly.
- Have a new business strategy that requires you to drive significant organisational change.
Or, your team is not working smoothly, and you must identify and address the causes.
For more information on ways to upskill your team read, Three ways to upskill your team to achieve better results’.
How We Work with Teams
We offer a bespoke solution to building team effectiveness, helping to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.
Working collaboratively with you, we clarify your team’s unique needs to create and implement a plan for improvement in three key stages:
- Team assessment – a team diagnostic to assess current team functioning. We may also recommend a behavioural profiling tool to build productive working relationships inside team members and with key stakeholders.
- Development planning – a debrief on the assessment outcomes is used to help the team determine development priorities and confirm the best path forward.
- Team Coaching – workshop sessions are designed to focus on the key improvement areas for the team, combined with progress checks and consultation with the team leader.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information on how this would work for you and your team.