What Makes for a High Performance Team?

What Makes for a High Performance Team?

Introduction to High Performance Teams

• Teams are integral to organizations and often outperform individuals working separately.
• Teams can range from dysfunctional to high-performing.
• High-performance teams share six key characteristics summarized by the acronym LEARNS: Leadership, Engagement, Alignment, Relationships, Norms, and Structure.

Structure

• High-performance teams are purposefully structured with a clear mission and goal.
• Effective structure involves the right team size, diverse yet complementary skills, and streamlined communication.
• A clear purpose allows team members to leverage their strengths and work effectively together.

Alignment

• Members are aligned toward shared goals, with clarity on objectives and measures of success.
• Teams often use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) to create focus and confidence.

Engagement

• Members are highly engaged, committed, and accountable to one another.
• Through developmental stages (forming, storming, norming), teams define roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
• Engagement fosters ownership and a strong commitment to achieving team objectives.

Relationships

• Building and maintaining trust and open communication is essential for high-performance teams.
• Positive team culture includes encouragement, mutual respect, adaptability, and collaboration.
• Celebrating successes, learning from failures, and fostering innovation strengthen relationships and drive results.

Norms

• Teams establish explicit and implicit norms for workflows, problem-solving, and decision-making.
• High-performance teams emphasize continuous learning, feedback, and process improvement.
• Standard operating procedures and agreements on removing bottlenecks ensure efficiency.

Leadership

• Effective leaders guide teams and empower members to take ownership of their work.
• Leaders play a key role in resolving conflicts, managing changes, and navigating challenges.
• Leadership development is crucial for sustaining high team performance.

Application of the LEARNS Model

• The LEARNS framework helps evaluate team performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Self-assessment tools are valuable for planning and monitoring team development over time.

Course Forward

• High-performance teams require purposeful structure, supportive environments, and strong leadership.
• By fostering these characteristics, teams can achieve their full potential and deliver exceptional results.

• Would you like to assess your teams on these characteristics at no cost?  Check out the Team Dynamics Gap Assessment located here:  https://www.beltcourse.com/opex-champion-sponsor-skills-assessment

Source: