How to create High Performance Teams?

Build successful businesses that create innovations speak to the imagination. Often first some down periods in the business with a sharp edges, such as business even with the late Steve Jobs, Apple or Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Simultaneously they put meaningful great results on their name and thus 'change the world'. How do you explain that things don't go the way we want them to see, or better how do you explain groups of people sometimes create 'suddently' create big great results and leave other groups far behind.

So why is Apple so innovative, year after year after year? They are more innovative than all the competition, thats true, and yet, there just a computercompany like there are so many. There just like any other group of people working together. Apple has the same access to the same talentgroup, access to the same agency's, access to the same consultantsfirms, the same mediafirms. Then why is it that "they" (Apple) seem to have 'something different'?. And why is it, that for instance the Wright Brothers were able to figure out controlled powered manflight, when there were certainly other teams and groups of people already busy trying and who were on paper much better qualified, much better funded, and still.. they didn't invent controlled powered manflight in the air, and the Wright Brothers did. There's some kind of ingredients in teamwork that are in play here.

Obviously often the blunt comparison to Apple and the Wright Brothers to your own business is wrong .. it might that the own situation be lacking of the sometimes unlimited resources of fans Steve Jobs used to have, lacking the terrifying energy of a stadium full of Apple supporters and well-facilitated training to peak at once. It can bring something unique to establish, but impossible if the energy is not there to constantly raise the bar.

The question is then how can we bring those stories of outstanding teamexcellence-examples closer to our own (smaller) practice of working? How to create High Performance Teams like Apple or the Wright Brothers (pioneers) in our own fieldgame?

There appear (in researchstudies) to be six key-ingredients in the creation of High Performance Teams. In this article I present these ingredients that can create /transform normal teams to excellent teams. It turns out that even ordinary people can come together and afther a while create exceptional performance. This fact makes it accessible for others to reach greater heights with their own team than ever. Small side note; its not easy, it will never be. If baking the apple pie fails you, so to speak, ist not just enough to replace the bakingpowder. However, the ingredients can be visualized which give guidance what the formation of High Performance Teams is essentially about.

$ 1 What makes a team great?

Cooperation is crucial because you on your own pace can go fast, but as a team (close together) you can go much further. Even the genius inventors and leaders are working with other people to achieve their vision. Teams are always needed. Moreover, the question remains how to create alternative, better, faster, cheaper, smarter and responsible solutions to customers or citizens.

Good cooperation is teamwork and we are still searching for what kind of great teamwork really makes a success. Through the years, various studies show that teams who are in a better performance-state also the team members are getting much happier and healthier, and as the teamperformance improves accordingly. So, if we want to help organizations attain improved results with team work, it is essential to determine what are the key success factors of teamwork that makes a High Performance Team.

Teams come in many shapes and sizes. The following definition makes the difference between whether or not the definition of a team is clear: a clearly identified group of people who are dependent on each other in their duties and / or goals and, in cooperation committed allowed to reach their common responsibilities, where they get their relationships, and manage across organizational boundaries.

The first feature suggests that people who are performing in a team is a common task in any event and / or pursue a common goal. Then cooperation, there is a team process in which people interact com collaboration a process in which people communicate and share information and knowledge. This cooperation focuses on the common assumption of responsibility: the task or purpose to be together implemented or achieved. That means that in this cooperation people are together and appeal to that responsibility.

Finally, the collaboration is not only about the relationships in the team, but also to the relationships with others. The co-operation process focuses also on other teams or people in the organization, of which one is dependent on one way or another. Moreover, the process focuses on the relationships with the outside world: cooperation with citizens, customers or other stakeholders.

Characteristic of the work of many teams is that they have to deal with many different stakeholders, each with their own interests. Recent decades has shifted the emphasis in many public organizations quantifiable achievements: Only what can be numerically counted is what counts. And this is a false assumption.

If teams are made accountable for achieving results (that are expressed only in numbers), it can cause less attention to all those things that are not expressed in numbers. People with there own feelings are very important. Besides effectiveness also efficiency and lawfulness play a large role and that can’t be counted for. Popular said, we as employees also seek value for money. We assume that the company we work for is also economical with 'our' money (efficiency).

$ 2 Performance of High Performance Teams

Taking into account the performance of interest to teams, we also look at their effectiveness, efficiency (efficiency) and legitimacy (legality) of the team.

? Team effectiveness is defined as the degree to which teams manage to achieve the team goals and the quality delivered.
? Team efficiency is about efficiency: how the team deals with the available resources.
? Team Legitimacy concerns the social interest served by the team, while the legality of actions of the team. The point is that the team is working in accordance with applicable rules and standards, and that all stakeholders are treated fairly.

Summarizing the High Performance Teams is that theire goals are defined on a quality manner, with minimal time and money and in accordance with applicable rules and standards of the company.

Six features that ensure excellent teams to perform:

? Team-enthusiasm
? Self-management
? Targeted cooperation
? Task-oriented cooperation
? Stakeholder-oriented collaboration
? Leadership

Again, they are not simple “buttons” to push, but do provide guidance in improving teamwork and performance.

$ 3 Team-enthusiasm

Team-enthusiasm is the team's attitude in terms of energy and dedication and how the team absorbed in their work. Team-enthusiasm is largely created by other team processes and transmit the mode of leadership to the team.

Engagement is motivation for work in the superlative: a spark that causes people to immerse themselves in their work and are willing to work extra. In this case we are particularly interested in the true enthusiasm of the team as a whole, it not only concerns the sum of the individual enthusiasm of the team, but to achieve ‘the enthusiasm-spark’ in the team, amazing something together. We can distinguish several components of team-enthusiasm.

We see engagement with a significant degree of commitment for the team: the team members identify themselves with the team, feel solidarity with each other, are loyal and share certain values with each other. Then show that inspired teams show a great deal of energy in relation to the work they do together. The team members feel like working and inspire each other with it. Members of an enthusiastic team show a great deal of dedication and enthusiasm in carrying out their work. There they get a collective pride and be inspired to take up new challenges. Moreover, we see that the members of an enthusiastic team completely absorbed in their work, they have a great passion for working in the team and that makes them happy.

It is therefore not for the personal commitment alone, it is the energy to take a step more for the team. It goes on in their work, always looking for a challenge and are naturally a little 'hungry to be excellent' as a team.

Team-enthusiasm provided as teams strive jointly appealing and clearly defined team goals. Better and sharper envision what needs to be done before management, and raise the bar together. This creates easier to jointly put shoulders to the wheel a feeling of pride and passion than when the goals are to explain in vague and difficult terms. The leading role is therefore primarily to inform the central team rather than themselves. It is the connection to the higher purpose that enhances engagement with the team members and thus improves performance.
Enthusiastic teams reach more easily achieve their goals and know better their vision. They provide greater effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy. The supervisor must put the team literally central and work on team spirit.

$ 4 Self-Management

Self-management plays a key role in High Performance Teams. The self-management in terms of the way the team takes there own responsibility and self-initiative. In short, giving formal space from the organization (autonomy) versus taking behavior from the team (self-management).

Self-management: the team used the space to organize their own work, to take initiatives themselves to find solutions to the problems. Executives have to settle matters not yourselves therein, but when leaders are able to manage others in the team business itself. Leaders should bring the bureaucracy in an organization down because that is often the biggest barrier to spontaneous communication with other departments and teams.

Teams with a high degree of self-management are much more successful and provide better solutions. In addition, they often do more than is expected of them. More self-management also means that teams work better together to achieve their goals and carry out their duties.

Leadership is important here to define clear goals and behave. This makes it easier for the team to determine what problems need to be solved and how that can be done together as a team. As a manager you encourage self-management by giving "space", its expected that the team itself solves problems, management supports where necessary by involving the team as much as possible in making (team) plan and set objectives.

$ 5 Targeted cooperation

The team purpose and cooperation to achieve that goal are an important focus for High Performance Teams. This combination of clear, compelling goals and shared responsibility with commitment of the team to achieve, delivers a team process that makes ground for a great team-ethusiasm. This team can achieve great results. The process of cooperation is aimed as the target and the results thereof are discussed in this section.

Targeted collaboration refers to the degree to which team members form a unit in order to achieve the goals jointly supported team. Team members take responsibility and speak to each other openly on that responsibility to. This method is supported by the way team members help each other, to be loyal to each other. The team members have each other, necessary to achieve the objectives team. They all work close together and jointly take responsibility to achieve those goals.

The great bond with each other with a good cooperation to achieve common team goals are needed. All High Performance Teams are supported by a great sense of security, confidence and openness to each other. Most teams show that this can be achieved because it is very common, but also necessary is that the situation at privathome and other private matters to be discussed together. As a team, after all, you want to know what you have together, it is necessary to know what's on your and eachothers mind and how you feel todat. Unduly interested in each other and truly listen to each other gets a functional role; the vote of a colleague can then be made negotiable and can be taken into account, so you can work optimal together to achieve the objectives.

Key features of this type of leadership is required in this context. Management should set a good example, consider strengthening personal feelings of team members, team spirit and cooperation and encourage team members to collaborate on team goals. In all High Performance Teams, I see moreover back fun and humor as essential elements of purposeful cooperation.

Finally, the degree of self-management in the team gives a significant boost to the cooperation aimed at achieving the goals. We see in the executive teams clearly involve the examples of as many of the teams in developing all kinds of plans. These teams therefore literally given the space and often also the responsibility to work on the formulation of their objectives.

The relationship between self-management and goal-oriented cooperation we see as a self-reinforcing process; more self-management allows teams to a greater extent put themselves in a state to formulate their goals and then jointly pursue that goal. Conversely, the self-management is much much easier when you know where you collectively stand for and therefore what needs to be done to achieve results.

Jointly discuss and adopting ideas brings a bright team goal to the development of self-management and targeted cooperation. Interestingly, the High Performance Teams are well able to make there own ambitious team goals.

What to do to strengthen targeted cooperation? Discuss as a team what you stand for and define and formulate the team goals so that everyone feels addressed by it. Also ensure good connection between the team goals and objectives of each team member. Work on a good and enjoyable atmosphere in the team. As a leader you have to be a good example by itself as an open person and talk about what you are dealing with. You need to be engaged as much as possible. The leadership as a team are making plans and give the team the responsibility to define their own goals herein.

$ 6 Task cooperation

In addition to targeted cooperation ($ 5) is also task-oriented cooperation in important teams. High Performance Teams fill that gap in with a smart mutual exchange of information and knowledge utilization in the performance of their team tasks. This section discusses the task cooperation process and its outcomes.

Greater reliance on each other in carrying out the task requires teams to better coordination and utilization of information and knowledge available and required to perform the task well. This process I call task-oriented cooperation. It's the way team members are able to exchange information and knowledge, integrate and contemplate. It literally expand and deepen knowledge appears to be an important factor for excellent team performance.

In all High Performance Teams there exists a knowledge of sharing and exchange information in order to perform the task team of high quality. Task-oriented collaboration means those teams are working together, moreover, that the team meetings are well utilized, for example to share personal experiences in the work. This provides the necessary self-reflection and the development of new ideas.

When a company (with a lot of different working systems) needs a very wide knowledge for a team to operate effectively. Knowledge is fragmented present among different employees within the team. Therefore, this is particularly important at the moment that a company desires a product that must be invoked multiple components from different systems. It is especially important that the team members are no Island for detailed knowledge, and that the information can be picked up whenever needed.

This should be sent deliberately by supervisors in cross-fertilization from different disciplines. Precisely by sharing everything with each other, and beeing critical of each other ,without being personally negative, the team may well make great efforts to each other.

Team staff should be able to approach the management directly, and management should ensure both through formal and informal lines that things are always negotiable.
An important prerequisite for task-oriented cooperation is the degree of self-management in the team. The team members come up with suggestions to develop new knowledge and competences and supported it from the organization.

They also organize a project or work meetings which offers space to spend on here really attention.  Leaders do actively join in and help where ever needed to focus well on the cross-pollination and to take the time. Moreover, they set a good example by myself generously share their information and knowledge and to make clear how they use those of others. Leaders must apply a stimulating leadership style, give good example of behavior by asking questions encourage team members together to discuss the issues and resolve.

High Performance Teams make a conscious use of eachothers different functional backgrounds, diverse expertise and experience in the team. If necessary, these teams consciously seek additional expertise to attract new team members who have the necessary knowledge or experience in the home.

In addition, it appears that teams are good at exchanging information and sharing knowledge are much more enthusiasm and thus provide much better team performance. They discuss work situations and personal situations in the work in order to achieve knowledge and develop new ideas for the task. They organize information sessions and open questions for hours asking and answering questions over and over again. Supervisors must provide time and space to exchange information and share knowledge and encourage the team members here.

$ 7 Stakeholder oriented cooperation

Where target and task-oriented cooperation is mainly played fix, within the team, stakeholder-oriented cooperation has a role outside the team. High Performance Teams show good cooperation and coordination with all stakeholders with an interest in the products and services of the team. In this section, I discuss how this cooperation process looks like and what it brings.
In many cases the contact with external relations shall be the sole responsibility of the team manager.

High Performance Teams, have relationships with the stakeholders to connect the team with his surroundings. By working on these relationships better products and services are delivered by the team.
The external contacts outside the organization focus precisely on the active way in which the team enters the relationships and collaboration with customers, suppliers, clients and other stakeholders outside the organization and maintains.

This process, which we call here a stakeholder-oriented cooperation, the team is essential needed to provide good products and services. Maintaining good relationships with others supporting the coordination with suppliers that the team with necessary resources and information. The relationship with customers especially in the vital feedback on the connection of the supplied products and services to the needs of those customers. In this collaborative process involves thinking exchange with stakeholders and proactive ideas.

High Performance Teams in their collaboration are frequently occupied with the question what exactly the needs of their stakeholders. In many ways they show that stakeholders are central to their way of working.

We have seen that the High Performance Teams consciously seek contact with the stakeholders to get feedback and, where necessary, to explain where the team stands for. The principals say they are very satisfied with the quality delivered by the team. In the creation of a proper stakeholder-oriented cooperation we see an important role for self-management. The teams themselves take more responsibility and initiative to improve their performance, are better able to pick up the collaboration with stakeholders and to empathize with their own needs.

The team must first establish who the key stakeholders are, empathize with the needs of stakeholders and clearly communicate what it has to offer the team. The team must actively seek communication with stakeholders and use the feedback as a team to deliver better products and services to stakeholders. In addition, using each other's expertise and knowledge to better empathize with the wishes and needs of the stakeholders in order to arrive at more appropriate solutions.

$ 8 Leadership

The sixth and final ingredient of High Performance Teams, is the role of leadership. In particular to the leadership style of the manager and the associated behavior. How that leadership looks like in High Performance Teams and the contribution will be discussed in this paragraph.
Transformal leadership is a leadership style where managers pay attention to matching values, and emphasize on the team and the importance of excellent cooperation.

Transformal leaders work towards the common goals and maintain the team's future firmly in mind. It aims to change (transformation) of beliefs, needs and values of the employees to eventually be able to achieve those goals. Team members are encouraged by the leadership to carry out their work independently of the executive.

Self-management has a very important place in the development of High Performance Teams. It is very important that managers do their leadership style in a way that the self-management does not impede but fits precisely with the address of the responsibilities of the team members. That's what transformal leadership does to the team.

Four characteristics of transformal leadership:

? Personal attention: the manager is sincere, give attention to the individual needs of employees, and encourages personal development of employees. Is Always constructive.
? Intellectual stimulation: the leader promotes creativity, new ideas and solutions.
? Motivate Inspirational: the supervisor helps to develop an inspiring vision, creates major challenges in the work. People want to go to work under the guidance of the supervisor.
? Charisma: the manager has the true respect and trust and true integrity of its employees and gives them the great true example. He does this by always acting ethically and in this setting the priority, which is supported by human resource policies.

What is the typical style and behavior of managers towards this high performance teams?

They have a sincere honest and personal leadership style. The team members describe it as an open and accessible way of leadership. The supervisor is often openly talking with the employees, and will open the door for people with ideas, concerns, and questions. Consciously asking for input separately to all team members, anyone can make a valuable contribution to ensuring that higher quality is achieved.

The manager gives to the team his own honest mistakes, and when others make mistakes they listen without verdict. Just what can be learned from it and how it can be improved in the future. Here, the culture may arise from the quality to be delivered, but mistakes are there to learn and that we must help each other therein. No blame and shame culture, and “managers” making people ridiculous to push teamworkers (who truly try to do the best) aside.

In addition, the show sincere personal interest and appreciation of great importance. In addition, the leadership style should be used much more to the team as a whole rather than separate individuals in the team. Also the leading outwardly a role as a representative and advocate of the team.

It is never the manager who delivers the performance himself, that is the task of the team. What the effective manager does is make an important contribution to the development of all the other ingredients of High Performance Teams that the excellent performance of that team can be achieved.

The manager plays an important supporting role in the development of team-enthusiasm. They should focus on developing team spirit and team spirit, as well as challenge the team to get more out of work and look further. The team should be managed as a whole and give them backing to really excel as a team.
In terms of self-management the manager is going to think of the team differently, teams must look for a solution for there problems, and must reflect on their own approach. Some higher managers do so much talk but create no effective action, they can't get the job done, that has to be changed.

Management encourage purposeful collaboration within the team. They encourage open communication by doing actively demonstrate this cooperation and genuine interest in what moves the team members. Moreover, they strengthen the team spirit and cooperation to achieve the team goals.

The supervisor facilitate the task cooperation by organizing work meetings where much information can be exchanged and knowledge to good use. They give a good example by generously sharing their information and knowledge and to make clear how they use those of others. They take the team objective that must be achieved in lieu of the individual. And the right managers dare to report their own mistakes to learn together with the team, in a culture that does not matter who made the mistake. Here, the majority of supervising (old school) managers have problems with that.

$ 9 Road to High Performance Teams

In short… It is not easy. It is a combination that is very close listening. It is not the application of just a simple trick to get a High Performance Team. All players in the game are important, both the manager with soft skills and the team members. The supervisor/ managers input is also an ingredient and therefore makes his own show and doing his needed part of the further development of the team.

It is not that the management teams maneuver their organization through choppy waters but moreover the project teams deliver themselves complex delights. High Performance Teams do not sit back, but constantly seek new ways to do better and better. They set themselves the bar high. The engagement is closely related to the personal 'drive' to give the customer valuable results (ipad, toon, etc). High Performance Teams manage to connect their goals to a higher public purpose.

They put this love of setting as a team an additional extra mile. The supervisor / manager stimulates and inspires thereby this by asking questions, making people think in a creative way and seek dialogue about keeping the greater dream constantly alive. Team-enthusiasm is created by the team to get extra responsibility and actually make it happen.

This way of doing things, the team's behavior, is the road that leads to excellent results. The teams is aware that they must take action themselves. They use their own initiative, using their own creativity, and ensure that team members can trust each other through and through. At the difficult moments they can ask for support and inspiration. Leadership is more serving leadership to the benefit of the team.