Build the Foundation for Team Effectiveness
Effective teams are essential building blocks for organizational success. When departments collaborate productively, it leads to higher employee well-being and morale, improved problem-solving and innovation as well as increased engagement and profitability.
I’ve worked with hundreds of teams to help them gain new tools and insights to achieve their goals and deliver results consistently. From my experience, I can share that successful groups recognize that they cannot simply check a box and become “effective.” They commit to investing time and energy in maintaining the mindsets, processes and relationships necessary to boost performance.
2 Mindsets to Inspire Productivity
Effective departments and project teams tend to display both a growth and an abundance mindset. A growth mentality promotes the idea that ability and intelligence can be developed through effort, while an abundance outlook embraces the concept that there are enough resources for everyone to thrive.
With a focus on growth, staff are more willing to give one another grace if mistakes are made. They recognize that missteps are opportunities to look at what may have gone wrong and make adjustments to strengthen future outcomes. When colleagues know they can individually and collectively improve, they’re more inclined to embrace experimentation and continually optimize how they work together in pursuit of better results.
An abundance mindset enhances collaboration in place of competition because staff know that there is enough recognition and opportunity to go around. This perspective inspires coworkers to feel more comfortable sharing knowledge, supporting each other’s efforts and championing collective achievement.
Together, these mindsets set the tone for greater cooperation and outcomes.
5 Factors for Team Effectiveness
In addition to adopting the attitudes above, I’ve noticed that high-performing groups tend to implement five practices:
1. They have shared agreed-upon goals.
Clear, collective objectives provide direction and purpose, ensuring that all staff members can align their efforts to achieve common goals. They also serve to help the group find focus and prioritize what matters most.
2. They establish working agreements and communication norms.
Teams that have (and apply) consistent guidelines for behavior and communication are more likely to operate with a shared understanding and keep one another informed of progress and challenges along the way.
3. They are willing to seek and integrate others’ opinions.
Actively soliciting and incorporating feedback promotes a culture of continuous improvement. There are always things we can do better, and adopting this perspective invites the possibility to achieve more.
4. They value different work styles.
At Emergenetics, our research finds that at least 85% of the population will think differently from you. That’s a positive thing because distinct perspectives lead to enhanced problem-solving, reduced risk and increased innovation.
5. They actively encourage critical thinking.
When colleagues do not challenge one another, creativity is often stifled, and it may lead to poor decision-making. Effective groups proactively identify opportunities to think out-of-the-box and imagine other outcomes.
1 Challenge to Be Wary Of
I recently had the opportunity to work with an executive team interested in optimizing their performance. When I looked at their Emergenetics Profile data, I noticed that their individual Thinking and Behavioral styles were quite similar. In meeting with the participants, they shared that it was very easy for them to make decisions, and they rarely experienced impasses. While they worked well together, their leader recognized that they had a blind spot around their tendency for groupthink that needed to be addressed to increase their productivity.
It’s often very pleasant to work together when everyone agrees and conforms to the same perspectives, so groupthink may not initially be perceived as an obstacle. However, homogeneous teams often miss out on opportunities to innovate, address risks and problem-solve more efficiently because they are not considering multiple perspectives.
It’s important that colleagues constructively challenge one another. While it may feel a little scratchy, the outcomes are significantly enhanced when groups approach opportunities from many angles and make decisions after careful, balanced consideration.
Lead the Way to Team Effectiveness
Managers can set the tone to optimize collaboration and productivity by modeling the two mindsets and five practices outlined above. I also recommend seeking feedback from direct reports on ways to improve performance and involving them in the decision-making process whenever possible. Accepting that you are not the only expert in the room and leaning on your staff will help them feel empowered to offer ideas, question conventional wisdom and deliver more innovative solutions.
It’s also essential to keep your employees connected and challenged. Invest time and resources into team building and training activities that are designed to help colleagues get to know one another and utilize their individual and collective strengths. By encouraging personnel to grow and benefit from one another’s expertise, you will be well on your way to driving greater effectiveness.
Ready to maximize performance for your staff? Explore our training offerings or fill out the form below to connect with an Emergenetics representative today!
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