There are elements which have a crucial impact on making a group of people a high performance team or a group. Grouping is a natural social activity in human beings, but not all groups of people have one common objective or task to achieve together. Hence, not all groups of people are teams.
Elements of High Performance Teams
The following are some important elements, which make up a high performance team out of a group of people:
- A shared vision and objective which groups, motivates and supports the team members through creativity and innovation.
- An understanding between team members of the real person behind the team member or role of the person.
- The form of open communication between team members.
- The respected leadership of the group of people.
- The different competencies of each team member.
- The rules and norms established by the team members while remaining flexible to the needs of each team member.
- The respect towards other team members’ competencies, values, ideas, potentials and skills.
Elements in Effective Team Collaboration
Roles and Responsibilities. A collaborative team shares an understanding on how each team member’s role is performed. A team thus has predefined roles such as a time keeper, a score keeper, a leader and a facilitator.
Identity. A collaborative team environment is one that has a shared identity. A team has a clear and defined vision that describes the importance of the team’s targets and objectives.
Cohesion. Teamwork collaboration involves cohesion. Team members display and embrace a sense of belonging, comradeship, and commitment towards other team members.
Facilitating. The role of the facilitator within a collaborative team serves to keep a high performance team on the right track.
Communication. Effective team collaboration translates into open communication among team members. A collaborative team environment is one where team members are not afraid to express their own opinions as divergence of opinions is valued and conflict is managed effectively.
Flexibility. Collaborative team work provides flexibility in task performance and relies on the strengths of each team member.
Factors Influencing Team Building Development
Various aspects influence the development of effective team building. These aspects usually give the identity of the team even within the same context. Team building development is characterized:
- By leadership type.
- By tasks and outcomes to be achieved.
- By personalities existing within the team.
- By the organization.
- By the country and location.
- By the motivation behind the team.
- By the size of the team.
Related Articles on Suite101
- Effective Team Building in the Business Workplace
- Leadership with Emotional Intelligence
- Management Leadership Development
- Collaborative Problem Solving
Further Reading
Bennis, Warren. (1989). On becoming a leader. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Maureen Cutajar - Maureen is a professional IT project manager, web writer, and eBook formatter with educational background in English literature and ...
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