High Performing Teams at Work: Decoding Key Factors for Success

High Performing Teams at Work Matter
Study after study tells us that teamwork is positively related to performance.  We know from organizational culture assessment data that employees in high performing teams report higher levels of employee engagement and productivity.  We also know from organizational alignment research that high performing teams at work fire on all cylinders when strategy, culture, talent, and strategy are aligned.

The Key Success Factors for High Performing Teams at Work
If you want to elevate groups of individuals into a high performing teams, focus on three key areas:

1. Creating Strategic Clarity
   At the heart of any high-performing team lies a clear, believable, and implementable strategy that sets the context for everyone to rally around. A shared purpose that transcends individual goals increases the need for collaboration, information sharing, and a collective commitment to success.  Strategic clarity (i.e., a team charters) sets the foundation for every person on the team to understand and leverage everyone’s expertise and job duties contribute to the bigger picture. 
   
   Do your teams have a compelling and clear line of sight into how they are contributing to individual, team, and organizational success?
   
   
2. Cultivating a Healthy and High Performing Culture
   Culture accounts for 40% of the difference between high and low performing teams in terms of revenue growth, profitability, leadership effectiveness, and employee engagement. According to McKinsey, healthy organizations are three times more likely to outperform unhealthy ones.  A healthy and high performing team culture has high levels of:
   
   — Trust and psychological team safety
   — Transparency, performance expectations, and accountability
   — Strategy and culture alignment of how work gets done
   
   Is your culture healthy and high performing enough where team members feel safe to express ideas and take calculated risks without being hindered by misaligned beliefs or business practices?
   
   
3. Differentiating Team Talent
   High performing teams seek out and celebrate the diversity of skills, perspectives, and experiences within a team that fit well together. They invest in attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining the right blend of team talent where strengths complement weaknesses to make the sum greater than its parts.
   
   Can your team leaders assess unique team capabilities to unlock their team’s full potential?

The Bottom Line
The purposeful alignment of strategy, culture, and talent sets the stage for teams to transcend mediocrity and perform at their peak. Just remember that the journey to high performance is not a destination but a dynamic and never-ending journey of continuous learning and improvement.

Want to learn more about creating high performing teams at work, download 3 Must-Have Ingredients of High Performing Teams for New Managers