When we talk about high-performance teams, we refer to a group of people focused on common goals and with specialized expertise, whose complementary skills collaborate, innovate and produce consistently superior results. These teams relentlessly pursue performance excellence through shared goals, leadership, collaboration, open communication, clear role expectations and group operating rules. In addition, early conflict resolution and a strong sense of accountability and trust among all team members. Do you feel identified? Did you know that 85% of companies say that productivity has increased as a “result of more and better management of their high-performance work teams?
High-performance teams are an essential component of a company…
Work teams of this type are the backbone of contemporary working life. On the one hand, executive teams run corporations, project teams create new products and services, and marketing and sales teams deliver products and services to customers and clients. Marketing and sales teams deliver products and services to customers, and finally, high-performance work teams are essential to the way work is organized and performed. This translates into superior performance and a clear and important competitive advantage.
So… What is a high performance team?
A high-performance team is one that seeks to achieve and consolidate outstanding results.
It is, then, a group of people who share a common vision, objectives, common metrics and who collaborate together. At the same time, they challenge and hold each other accountable to achieve outstanding results. While most people would generally agree with this definition, the Achilles heel in practice is to isolate and overemphasize the last part, i.e., achieving outstanding results. If we only focus on results and not on how we achieve those results, our efforts may work for now, but they will not be sustainable over time.
Let’s remember that…
A team is a group of people working together to achieve something beyond their individual interests. However, not all groups are teams. A team is a small number of people with complementary skills. These skills are committed to a common purpose, performance objectives and focus for which they hold each other accountable. What distinguishes high-performing teams from other groups is that a team is more than a collection of people who simply follow orders. To function effectively, a high-performing team also needs:
- A deep sense of purpose and commitment to team members and to the mission.
- Relatively more ambitious performance goals than average teams.
- Mutual accountability and a clear understanding of members’ responsibilities to the team and individual obligations.
- A diverse range of experiences that complement the skills of other team members.
- Interdependence and trust among members.
The use of work teams is widespread in all types of organizations around the world. High-performance teams have an advantage over individual work because each member can contribute new ideas, talents and points of view. In addition, high-performance teams execute strategy predictably, meet objectives, and need little management oversight because they are empowered and accountable for their activity. Therefore, they function and are accountable for their performance independently. Compensation and incentives are often tied to the achievement of team and individual objectives, respectively. Of course, with a greater emphasis on the collective performance of the team. Because of this, superior team performance is highly valued.
How do you build and manage a high-performance team?
No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you act alone, you will always lose to a team. That’s why you should always consider the value of high-performance teams. However, building a high-performance team is a difficult task, especially when technology is reshaping work environments rapidly.
As José. L. Meléndez CEO of ChVmpion Mind, says:
ChVmpion Mind offers leaders the ability to enter into a structure, platform and application for high performance development. Whether it is, to grow as a leader, to improve productivity or to optimize mental and physical health, or all together, in a practical and cost-effective way; implementing greater development agility with business and technology coaching.
So, if you are a leader and want to take your team to new heights and increase the productivity of your employees, then it is important to follow certain tips that will help you get started:
Creating a stable team
Team composition is the very foundation of building effective teams. Ideally, high-performing teams should be kept small, but not too small. For, that is likely to result in poorer decisions due to lack of diversity and slower decision making. On the other hand, large teams, consisting of more than ten members, result in diminished effectiveness as sub-teams begin to form. This, in turn, encourages divisive behavior. Beyond team size, IT team leaders or executive managers should look for complementary skills and a team-friendly attitude in each of their team members. In other words, essential aspects to build and maintain a high-performance team. On the other hand, care and time must be invested to choose with certainty a stable team and once the team is formed, it is important to take every care to maintain its stability.
Create a cohesive, value-aligned team dynamic.
It is vital to create a team where each member shares a bond and interacts freely. This happens when they align with the team leader’s values and work in unison to achieve a common goal. Have you noticed that when team members begin to believe they can win together, they do more and do better? Shared values, high level of interaction and a sense of trust among members are aspects that constitute a well-cohesive team. In addition, increased productivity, to a large extent, is also a result. While a cohesive team can deliver more and at a faster pace than others, it is important to note that it runs the risk of becoming susceptible to groupthink. This can lead the team in the direction of incorrect assumptions if left unchecked.
Encourage an environment of open communication
Team members often refrain from expressing their opinions and thoughts in meetings because they feel too vulnerable to do so. This lack of psychological safety is counterproductive and leaders must take care to create a work environment that encourages interpersonal risk-taking. This team culture will motivate employees, encourage innovation and help bring new ideas to implementation levels. To increase the effectiveness of a high-performing team, leaders must also understand and evaluate members’ work styles at the group and individual levels.
Emphasis on the importance of learning
Fostering a culture of continuous learning to address problems and skills gaps is critical. Indeed, it is essential to building a high-performing team. Technology, especially emerging technologies, is always changing. ChVmpion Mind is a clear example of this.
As a platform, it provides a structure for teams that want to know the way to increase their profitability and improve their results. Companies always emphasize the importance of having employees with the ability to learn fast and improve their skills on a regular and self-taught basis. ChVmpion Mind encourages just such learning. Under a program where coaching is done without a coach and it is the employee himself who reinforces his strengths and eliminates his weaknesses.
Although a significant amount of learning takes place among team members, improving the capability of a team, through tools such as ChVmpion Mind, requires the collaboration of the entire team and the support of the team.
Let’s remember…
Learning and constant improvement are becoming a priority in companies, many of which are turning to online platforms to provide their employees with corporate training in emerging technologies. These online platforms, such as ChVmpion Mind, provide the ability to achieve individual and group goals and objectives.
Set measurable goals…
Setting measurable and effective goals with clear intent is critical to building a high-performing team. With a common goal set to achieve, high-performing team members are motivated, energized and more creative. Common values align with just the action to help them achieve more in less time. The ChVmpion Mind challenge is only 21 weeks.
