It inevitable we regularly find ourselves working as part of a team, either in work sport, or socially - and the effectiveness of that Team will have a huge impact on us personally.
When a team is functioning well, it can feel effortless. We understand what is important, we feel included, valued and cared about - and we are willing to contribute more, as a result. A dysfunctional team isn't so great though - we experience poor communication, disorganisation, office politics, competitiveness - and it can feel like a pretty toxic environment. Top team's attract talent, good performers leave when there is a poor team culture.
So, what are the key components to creating an effective team? If we were to list five, I would suggest these:-
The primary requirement for a successful team is Psychological Safety. Its a term often used, but what actually is it? A definition I like, by Dr Amy Edmundson of Harvard Business School, is it's “a belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated by sharing your ideas, asking questions, expressing your concerns, or making mistakes.”
In a nutshell, team members are supported. They know that as long as they have operated within the recognised team and industry parameters, and with best intent, they won't find themselves party to a witch hunt of blame game if mistakes happen. Its ok to ask questions, its fine to express concerns - and its absolutely encouraged to challenge the status quo and innovate. Its an environment that is proactive, supportive, empowering and encouraging. However - its not anarchy! Team members can't just do what they like without fear of consequences - and for leaders, its not turning a blind eye because we don't like to upset anyone.
Psychological safety needs shared responsibility. All team members have a part to play in creating and maintaining it.
The second building block is Trust. As Stephen Covey said, "without trust we don't truly collaborate, we merely coordinate, or at best, cooperate. Its trust that transforms a group of people into a team". For trust to thrive, 4 key elements need to be in play:-
Consistency - you can't be on time/approachable/supportive one day, then take on a different persona the next - for people to trust you, they need to know they will get a consistent version of you
Credibility - People want to know you are credible - eg have you walked in their shoes, solved a similar problem?
Honesty - are you going to tell people what they want to hear - or what they need to hear? Honesty can be uncomfortable, but its is imperative if you want to build trust
Transparency - trust can't exist when there are hidden agenda's at play. There may be times that sensitive information can't be shared due to timing and confidentiality, but can you at least be transparent on why, and potentially share when the larger agenda (if there is one) will be revealed?
Structure and Clarity form the third building block - within this all team members have clearly defined roles, the team has measurable goals, we communicate and delegate effectively, remove bottlenecks and we seek continual improvement. We may be a winning team now, but if we are not constantly learning and identifying efficiencies together, we will soon find ourselves moving backwards.
The fourth block is Purpose and Meaning. In my previous role, we worked with an organisation, Blueprint for a Better Business, who specialised in helping business's become Purpose-Led. In their words, “A business with a purpose that envisages a positive impact on the world, understands it is a series of relationships where every person is a ‘someone not a something'.” To what extend does your team truly connect the work that they do with the problems they are solving for the people they support? Its been proven that connecting personally makes us more engaged and improves work flow. It's so easy to just see a sea of e-mails or a groaning backlog! Try and connect the work to the people to the why.
The final block is Impact. To feel part of a successful team, everyone needs to understand the impact they are making. How do you unlock that? Firstly, having clear goals and measures of success - because if you don't have a target to aim for, how are you going to hit it? Sharing feedback as you progress, saying thanks, and pausing to celebrate success!
So, that's the 5 building blocks to create an effective team. How solid are they for you? Where are you already strong? Which one would you like to improve, and what would be your first step to improve it?
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