How to Improve Team Effectiveness

5 behaviours of a cohesive team

There are a number of critical components which contribute to team effectiveness or ineffectiveness over time. If you want to improve team effectiveness, a good starting point is to look at these components.
 

Some of these components are:

  • Team Purpose
  • Team Planning
  • Team Roles
  • Team Operating Process
  • Team Talent
  • Team Interpersonal Relationships
  • Team Inter-Team Relationships

 
The most effective teams have a very strong sense of purpose.
 
They plan and set goals around that purpose.
 
They hire and develop talent around that purpose. They structure roles around the purpose and goals.
 
In terms of day-to-day operations, the team needs to have certain enabling processes in place for team members to carry out their work together in an effective way. The development of a collaborative approach and the participation of all team members in the process of the team are critical to success.
 
The team operating processes include:

  • frequency, timing and agenda for team meetings
  • team problem solving processes
  • team decision-making processes
  • groundrules
  • procedures for dealing with conflict when it occurs
  • rewards for individuals contributing to teams
  • review of need for team

 
Interpersonal relationships must be in a healthy state for the team to achieve at its peak. This means developing a high trust culture, open, direct and honest communication and a task focus.
 
Of course, the team cannot operate in isolation. The team must be smart and connect, develop partnerships, network and establish relationships which will help it to solve its problems and achieve its goals in the short and long-term.
 
The world of global organisations, strategic partnerships, networked people, and an environment which is changing faster and is ever more complex by the day, requires a team to keep in touch just to survive, let alone thrive.

 
If you need help in this field, please contact us via email or Call 01 866 6426