Teams are The Unsung Heroes of Organizations: Team Development Programs Unlock The Power of These Critical Yet Under-Appreciated Assets

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Roman Colosseum, and the Taj Mahal. In addition to being Wonders of the World, these remarkable creations also exemplify the incredible power of teams and teamwork.

Teams have been an indispensable feature of civilization for millennia and are the lifeblood of nearly every modern organization. Yet the health, well-being, and nurturing of teams are too often taken for granted. Regrettably, while many teams are high-functioning, many more are not, and some are downright dysfunctional. Why do some teams stumble while others thrive?

The Seven Deadly Sins of Teams

Teams fail for various reasons. The missteps may be related to internal team dynamics or external factors. Here are some common causes of team failure:

1. Poor Communication: ineffective communication within the team can lead to misunderstandings, lack of clarity, and misalignment of goals. This can result in decreased collaboration and overall team performance.
2. Lack of Trust: trust is crucial for team cohesion and productivity. When team members don’t trust each other, it hampers open communication and collaboration, leading to a breakdown in team dynamics.
3. Unclear Goals and Roles: if team members are unclear about their roles and responsibilities or the team’s objectives, it becomes challenging to work towards a common purpose. This lack of direction can cause confusion and demotivation.
4. Inadequate Leadership: poor leadership can have a significant impact on team performance. A lack of guidance, support, and decision-making can lead to disengagement and inefficiency within the team.
5. Inability to Resolve Conflicts and Disagreements: every team has conflict. Successful teams know how to manage conflicts constructively before they escalate and disrupt team dynamics.
6. Lack of Accountability: when team members do not take ownership of their responsibilities or fail to deliver on commitments, it can undermine team performance and erode trust among team members.
7. Lack of Diversity and Inclusion: teams lacking diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds often struggle to innovate and overlook critical factors in decision-making.

The Seven Features of High-Performing Teams

For teams to thrive most if not all of the seven factors below need to exist:

1. A clear and shared understanding of what they are trying to achieve together
2. A commitment to putting collective priorities ahead of individual priorities
3. Confidence in each other’s competence
4. A sense of goodwill and assumptions of positive intent towards each other
5. Open dialogue about difficult topics
6. Defined and agreed on norms for managing conflict
7. A commitment to being mutually accountable for the team’s performance

Leader Emotional Intelligence & Inclusivity – Two Critical Ingredients of Successful Teams

Research has established that the higher the emotional intelligence of a leader the better the team performance.

Teams of leaders with high emotional intelligence often model that behavior and make it their new norm through elevated team empathy, self-awareness, and self-management. Likewise, research also shows that teams make better decisions than individuals.

Effective teams create psychological safety by allowing all team members to speak and share their perspectives. Inclusivity, then, is not just about managing diversity, it is also about getting more voices and perspectives to weigh in on team decision-making. When it comes to teams, the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

Guidelines For Implementing a Team Development Program

A well-designed team development program can identify and address the causes of dysfunction and cultivate the behaviors that support healthy team dynamics. To be effective, team development programs need to be customized to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented. A one-size-fits-all approach will rarely reveal the root causes of a team’s performance challenges, let alone move the needle on performance.

Each team is a unique social system with distinct structures, dynamics, and behaviors. Developing teams requires the mindsets of an anthropologist and sociologist to see both the internal and external dynamics influencing team performance. Only then can meaningful interventions be developed.

Executive team development programs can create a positive and high-performing culture that drives success and continuous improvement. It's an investment that can lead to significant and sustained benefits for both the team and the organization as a whole.