Why Teams Matter
Teams are more important than ever.
As organizations increase in size, complexity, and speed, and adopt new technologies, organizational members become increasingly reliant on one another. This is especially true for teams that are geographically dispersed and for teams comprised of members with complementary skills.
Researchers Eduardo Salas and Scott Tannenbaum define teams as:
“Two or more people who interact with one another in situations where at least some members need to rely on other team members some of the time. [They share] a common (or at least somewhat overlapping) sense of purpose or goals, and are viewed as a unit by others/and or themselves.”
-Scott Tannenbaum & Eduardo Salas, “Teams that Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness”, (2020).
Not only are teams more critical than ever, but they’re also more prevalent, fluid, and dynamic. At higher levels of the organization, many employees find themselves as members of several teams such as a leadership team, a functional team, and a project team.
Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson has noted this trend, going as far as to coin a new term. “Teaming” describes the shift in how teams form and operate. She noted that team structures are becoming increasingly less stable, and members are asked to be more adaptable to shifting roles, responsibilities, and expectations. As such, she has emphasized the need for teams to have higher trust, psychological safety, and greater degrees of flexibility with one another.
These qualities do not form in teams unless they are intentionally developed and cultivated.
Despite the rise in the number of teams and their critical nature to organizational success, organizations rarely invest in or give attention to how teams are assembled, how they work together, or the metrics they set for success.
Team researcher Bruce Tuckman says that teams follow a predictable pattern, specifically that all teams go through five stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning, respectively.
We’ve seen teams follow a similar pattern in our work. And yet, even though teams may go through these stages of development, they don’t all go through them effectively.
Because teams are composed of individuals and individuals have different personalities, perspectives, values, normative behaviors, and expectations, teams that do not take time to be intentional in going through each stage suffer from poor performance- both in task and interpersonal dimensions.
By contrast, teams that take time to achieve consensus on the purpose and mission of the team, the desired norms, values, and working agreements, as well as an appreciation for the complimentary contributions of each member are better equipped to function at higher capacity, drive innovation, be more collaborative, and achieve greater results while developing individually and collectively.
Think through the teams you are a part of, or the teams that are most critical to your organization’s success.
Does that team have a shared vision that is understood and agreed upon by each member?
Does each individual understand how they uniquely contribute to the whole?
Do the team members understand the personalities of other members in a way that promotes diversity, empathy, and creativity?
If the answers to these questions are “no” or “unclear”, additional work is needed.
To help you get started, we’ve provided some questions below you can ask of the team that we use when coaching teams.
What is the purpose of this team?
How do we define winning as a team?
What role does each member play in contributing to the team’s success? (Tip: Ask this question both as it pertains to task performance and interpersonal performance).
What does this team need from its leader to succeed?
What are our values?
What are our working rhythms and expectations - both individually and collectively?
How do we engage in healthy conflict?
“Behind most individual displays of excellence, you’ll find subtle teamwork contributions that made it possible.”
-Tannenbaum & Salas (2020).
We hope that organizations increasingly invest in team development - at least as much if not more than they invest in individual development. Teams are the primary drivers of organizational effectiveness. Additionally, they are more complex and delicate than individuals.
When teams operate at peak capacity they revolutionize organizations by increasing productivity, enhancing a sense of belonging, and creating synergies between diverse skills, perspectives, knowledge, and abilities.
What’s Next?
We hope this newsletter has sparked thoughts about how you can lead your team or provide additional support to teams in your organization.
What are you excited to try next?
As you continue to invest in teams within your organization, consider us a partner in your success. Our team assessment and coaching process provides a container to help your team create alignment, improve conflict, and create lasting agreements for sustained success.
