Five Characteristics of Top Teams
Over the years, exhaustive research has been done on top teams. There seem to be given characteristics or qualities of peak-performance teams that you can incorporate into your own business. Here they are:
Shared Goals and Objectives
Goals are everything and in a smoothly functioning team, everyone is clear about what the team is expected to accomplish. The goals of the team are shared and discussed by everyone. Each team member gives his or her ideas and input into how the goals and objectives can be best achieved. Each person feels like a part of a larger organisation. Everyone in essence is given the opportunity to “buy in” by virtue of their individual contribution.
Shared Values and Principles
In excellent teams, there is regular discussion about the values, principles, and behaviours that guide the decisions of the team. The leader encourages values such as honesty, openness, punctuality, responsibility for completing assignments, quality work, and so on. Everyone discusses and agrees on what they are. It is critical that I emphasise the “sharing” here of the values. Too often values are decided at senior management level and there is a disconnect with the rest of the team.
Shared Plans of Action
In this phase of team building, you go around the table and have each member of the team explain exactly what part of the work he or she is going to accept responsibility for completing. At the end of this discussion, each member knows what every other member is going to be doing and how his or her own work fits in with the work of the team.
Lead the Action
There must always be a clear boss or leader in any organisation. Democracy is a fine concept, but it goes only so far in business. Someone must be in command and take charge. And that someone is probably you. On a good team, everyone knows who is in charge. The leader sets an example for the others. The leader becomes the role model.
Continuous Review and Evaluation
In this final phase, the team regularly evaluates its progress from two perspectives. First, is the team getting the results that are expected by its customers or other in the company? In dealing with customers, does the team set up mechanisms to continually ask customers, “how are we doing?”
Bringing the Team Together
One of the most important things you do in building a peak performance organisation is to hold regular staff meetings. Bring your people together weekly, at a fixed time, to talk, discuss, catch up on progress, learn how the company is doing, and generally share ideas, opinions, and insights. Allow these sessions to have some freedom for the team to really examine ideas and goals thoroughly and the contributions of others in achieving group goals.
Action Exercise
Conduct a values clarification exercise with your entire team. Then mutually agree to live and work by the common values. Finally put in place some measures to ensure that the organisation and the team are living by these values. Ask your customers, they’ll tell you.
[...] Excellence listing five characteristics of top teams. Here’s my take on their top five below, for the original article click here. The common goals for peak performance teams have been broken down as [...]