Components of High-Performing Teams

High performing teams are huge assets to organizations. Collective power is beneficial in many businesses, however, many employers struggle in forming teams which perform well together. So, how do you go about building a high-performing team?

LEADERSHIP

There are a number of skills team leaders should possess. These include:

• Being a role model for other team members
• Setting clear goals for all team members, and tracking the progress of these
• Balancing the focus between individuals, the team’s performance, and the results in order to encourage learning and performance within all members
• Judging when to give team members direction, and when to leave them be is crucial in a high-performing team to keep morale up
• Understanding where the team is at, and adjusting leadership strategies accordingly. The four stages of team development are a) forming goals, b) developing relationships, c) establishing cohesion, and d) performing well together with little supervision.

MEMBERSHIP

High-performing teams consist of a group of individuals who identify strongly within the team, and want to remain a part of it. Morale and high engagement are characteristics of a strong team, and quite often, people put in their best effort to remain a part of that group.

INDIVIDUALITY

Great teams acknowledge and accept that each individual has their own skills, insights and traits, and they use this knowledge in a way that is most effective and benefits the team as a whole. When individual team members are fully recognized by their specific strengths, they feel more welcomed and valued within the group.

COMMON GROUND

High-performing team members also share similar approaches to problem solving, conflict resolution, understanding what behaviours are appropriate, and when to take risks and innovate.