What makes a good Team?

Every now and then I am asked this question. Personally, For some of my projects, I feel that even with fewer resources we have been able to make winning teams. After all, a good team is a foundation for any high-performing business.

The difference which occurs to me between a general team and a good team is the attitudes, the behaviours, the interactions, the language and the environment all add up to create a thriving team.

Here I am sharing the elements for effective teamwork that can help you to build and maintain high-performance teams throughout your organization.

Communication

This is the most important part. Effective communication is central to every facet of an organisation. A thriving team has open and honest discussions, sharing their thoughts, ideas and opinions, ensuring no-one is above anyone else and allowing everyone to feel as though they can contribute freely. Creating this sort of culture is one of the fundamental foundations for a effective team.

Problems that emerge in a team can often be traced back to issues with communication. Poor communication leads to crossed wires which in turn can lead to inefficiencies in performance and even conflict! Effective communication is imperative.

Clear Goals

The overriding factor which differentiates a group of people from an effective team is a clear goal. However, this goal needs to matter to the team, to be something that they will value and see the benefit in achieving. Each member knows the value of their personal contribution to the team goal. When individuals focus on the critical differences only they can instigate, results increase and teams become effective and successful. As a team, members should agree on and set goals. From here, the team can devise a plan for goal completion. What to do, who to do it, how to do it, when to do it. Each individual member is accountable and has responsibility for the team’s overall success.

Diversity of Capabilities

Teams that possess a wide range of professional competencies can be more fully equipped to meet a wide range of challenges. When building teams, take time to ensure that each team member possesses skills and strengths that complement the skills, strengths and weaknesses of other team members. Bringing together people with common skill-sets can lead to a great deal of discussion with little subsequent action. Ensuring that each team member possesses a unique specialty allows team members to trust each other for certain aspects of performance, while fully understanding what their own contribution is expected to be.

Trust and Respect

A Capable team relies on a high degree of trust. When you know that your colleagues are reliable and competent, you can trust them to work independently toward the team goal. Teams are most effective when there is a mutual respect between members. Leaders are imperative in creating a culture of trust and respect. For example, leaders could generate mutual trust by rewarding behaviours that build trust and encourage individuals to lead by example. Alternatively, leaders could encourage language that supports collaboration and dialogue between team members, and even across the organisation

Confidence and Creative Freedom

All team members should feel free to think creatively – to try new things and fail without the fear of consequences. This aspect of teamwork brings together all of the other elements for effective teamwork. Team members must trust that others will listen openly to their ideas, they must be able to confidently and openly communicate their new ideas, they must be trusted enough in their area of expertise to lead the way in new initiatives and they must be adaptable enough to accommodate the changes inherent in bringing new ideas to realization.

Managed Conflict 

This is an essential component to aiding team growth. It is important that when issues arise they are not avoided or ignored. When managed effectively there are a plethora of benefits to be seen including:

• The quality of decision-making
• improved creativity
• Increased scope of view
• Increased participation from team members
• More effective communication.

It is also important for the team leader to differentiate between a culture of challenge/disagreement and blame/criticism. If the environment empowers team members to challenge one another in a constructive and open manner, then the working relationship within the team is likely to be more creative and productive.