Building High Performance Teams

Teams and teamwork represent the future of organizational culture. The traditional hierarchical structure is being replaced by flatter, self-directed, cross-functional, flexible units. This flatter organizational structure reduces, or even eliminates, the need for lengthy chains of command and delegates responsibility to the team. The more autonomous the team, the greater the freedom the unit has to either make or implement decisions and thus respond swiftly to changes in the market.

The 12 precepts of creative management apply to high performance team building. The key characteristics for effective functioning in this type of team are: trust, respect, and support. Team members need to be coached in the need to trust and support each other in order to stretch beyond their comfort zone and think, and act, ‘outside the box’. Support involves actively keeping an eye on the other team members and demonstrating a willingness to help each other out when assistance is needed, regardless of whether it has been requested. Team members encourage each other by offering advice or assistance and are aware that the success or failure of the team collectively rests on the performance of each team member.

A high performance team expected to both decide how change is to occur and to be responsible for implementing the change. The level and nature of these responsibilities determines the selection of team members who need to have the necessary skills, experience and qualities to win respect and support from others in the organisation.

Having a coach or facilitator is an effective way to ensure that high performance teams focus on the quality of their teamwork as well as the quality and quantity of their output. The team coach or facilitator is responsible for encouraging team building behaviour and ensures that the team receives the necessary resources, as well as providing guidance and training for the members, collectively and individually.

High performance teams require an agreement, or charter, that defines the task(s), scope, function and boundaries of the team. Although the terms of reference for the team may be set initially, and final approval given, by the relevant level of senior management within the organisational structure, it is important that the team itself is involved in this process to ensure that all members are clear as to their roles, responsibilities and scope of operation.

Once such a team is established, it is essential that their actions are supported positively by senior management, so long as they are operating within the agreed parameters. If this does not occur, morale will be undermined and creativity blocked.

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