How can I create a high-performing team?

“Teamwork divides the task and doubles the success” – Unknown

Over the years, there have been countless studies undertaken to try and identify what separates a ‘good’ team from a truly ‘high performing’ team. Whilst the detailed outcomes of these studies will differ from one to another, they do all follow a largely similar theme.

Understanding the characteristics of a high performing team…
The first thing that you need to do is identify what a high performing team looks like. What characteristics do they all share? Depending on where you look, you will be told that there are anything from 5 to 20 characteristics that are common to the most successful teams. However, the following are common to most, if not all:

Shared vision / values
Any successful team needs to understand its goals. They need to have a common picture of what success looks like which each individual can recite independently of the other. Make sure that you spend time defining your overall vision and articulating the goals required to achieve it. These goals should be reviewed regularly to ensure their continued relevance and to keep the ship pointing in the right direction.

Excellent team planning
The goals of high performing teams are always supported by a clear, concise plan which plots the path to achieving them. It will provide enough detail in its processes to prevent deviation, but be flexible enough to cope with changing demands of the organisation. It should also build in opportunities for individual and team growth in terms of new knowledge and skills.

Clarity of roles and responsibilities
Every member of a high performing team knows their role in its success and will take personal and collective accountability for those roles. However, more so, they will be aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and will seek to support, develop and compensate accordingly.

Continuous performance management
Regular reviews of performance against goals at both individual and team levels are evident in the best teams. They keep their goals and vision at the forefront of their mind and will monitor progress, providing development and support where necessary to maintain momentum.

Regular, effective communication
Arguably the biggest differentiator between high and low performing teams is communication. How this is achieved will vary from team to team but you will always see some sort of mechanism for asking questions, providing feedback and sharing ideas. Each of these behaviours is met supportively by the rest of the team and it helps form bonds between them and gives them the unerring sense of direction required to succeed.

Appropriate recognition of success
There are many ways to recognise team success (from financial rewards to a simple ‘thank you’). The leaders of the very best teams are those that are able to identify what motivates each individual and regularly recognises successes. They will maintain focus, create continued enthusiasm and ensure future successes.

Once you have recognised the characteristics of a high performing team, there are many things that you can do as a Manager to ensure that these are instilled. You can also learn to understand the different stages of team development and apply some sort of group formation model (e.g. Tuckman’s model – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing).