Characteristics of Effective Teamwork - Building and Sustaining High Performing Team

One of the crucial characteristics of effective teamwork is synergy. When synergy is achieved then a team moves towards high performance.

Aspects of synergy of course will be developed during the performance stage.

High performance, however, is where the team starts to exceed its results and to re-define some of its goals and does this consistently.



Continuing our series on stages of team development using out STAR team model, in this article we consider how to help a team achieve and sustain high performance.

Whilst every team and context is different a few important characteristics of effective teamwork can provide a basis on which to develop your approach to developing a team that consistently performs to a high level.

The STAR team model suggests that effective teamwork in the workplace happens when four elements (Strengths, Teamwork, Alignment and Results) are in place:

Individuals flourish as they use and develop their Strengths

People come together building relationships that result in effective Teamwork

The team leader Aligns the team through effective communication of purpose, so that individual strengths combine with teamwork to deliver the teams results

Together everyone achieves more as performance flows and Results that are meaningful and rewarding to the team are achieved

A different emphasis and focus for each of the STAR model elements is needed at different stages of the team's development.

For high performance, all three aspects of the STAR model are equally important, and the team balances the three areas of results, strengths and teamwork according to the situation. The teams impact spreads beyond its immediate context to influence other teams and the wider organization.

Typically team synergy is demonstrated when:

The team finds new ways of working

Team members initiate change

The team sets fresh challenges

Team members spreads good practice

Team members coach and support each other and start to do so with other teams

Team members take the lead more often in their area of expertise

Connections are made across team, more widely across the organisation and with customers which bring increasing value to what the team does.

In this phase the team leader should look for synergy by:

Exploring connections

Bring things together - ideas, people, skills, other teams - so that they combine in a way that delivers much more than if they were apart.

Encouraging the team to take on fresh challenges

Supporting new skills development

Renewing strengths

Encouraging individuals to experience flow ( sense of working at peak performance, where skills and level of challenge are matched) in what they do

Promoting innovation

Being outward looking

and encouraging the team to be outward looking

Connecting, encouraging, finding potential

Releasing team members to lead themselves

At this stage the team increasingly leads and certainly manages itself as the maturity and capability of team members is evident. The leader role is one of serving the team by helping to create the conditions for high performance.

Synergy is one of the distinguishing characteristics of effective teamwork, but it is not always easily found. There does need to be a sense of vigilance and determination to reap the rewards of a team that is performing for the wider benefit of the organization.

All good things often come to an end and teams when they have achieved their results, often come to a natural end. However, we frequently don't disband our teams properly and miss out learning from the vast amount of experience gained within the team. Our article How Do You Disband a Team? provides some suggestions to make sure you gain valuable lessions from the experience of the team.

If you do have the time to read more on this topic, why not go to our teamwork articles. To read more of about our teamwork concept - the STAR team model- see our articles teamwork theories, teamwork defined and teamwork in the workplace. For a more general introduction to team a good place to start might be to think through why is teamwork important , or you may want to think about how you define teamwork or reminding yourself of the benefits of teamwork.

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