HIGH-PERFORMANCE-TEAMS

When they see the term ‘high performance’ or ‘best performance’, most people think of successful athletes on the podium or Marvel’s Avengers. In the context of work, the associations go more in the direction of overtime, pressure and stress. But that is not the point here.

WORKING IN A HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAM

The secret is a modus operandi which seems to supply itself with its own energy. One is so much in flow, both individually and in the team, that the work seems to get done by itself. People in the high-performance team ‘sail close hauled’ to pick up as much speed as possible. High pace, high-quality results and a high degree of cohesion are what sets them apart. The reward is a thoroughly well-earned sense of pride in the joint achievement.

DON´TS FOR
HIGH-PERFORMANCE-TEAMS

In order to achieve best performance as a team, it is helpful to be aware of and avoid some typical pitfalls:

UNNECESSARY MEETINGS? BYE BYE.

High-performance teams do not hold meetings unless they really help. They only take place when it is absolutely useful and necessary. And then only those who can contribute something take part in the meetings.

HOT AIR? CIAO.

High performance teams do not beat around the bush. If everyone trusts each other, critical points come straight onto the table, in 1-to-1 talks and team meetings. It's about moving forward together, not about blaming people or nit picking. Address it, learn something from it and work together.

WAIT? NO WAY.

When it comes to decision-making, nobody in high-performance teams waits for the ‘top brass’ to show them the way. Personal responsibility is the order of the day. Instead of chewing over problems, solutions are tried out. The faster you find out together whether the solution works, the sooner customer needs are satisfied.

110% WORKLOAD? NOPE.

High-performance teams do not work 110% of the time in grim concentration. Fun and humour also play an important part. Successes are celebrated in line with the motto "Work hard - play hard". This creates the team spirit that is also needed even when projects fail.

KEEP ONESELF TO ONESELF? DOESN’T WORK.

In top teams, everyone has more than their own workload in mind. What counts is team-wide effectiveness. Mutual support is given as a matter of course. But at the same time it is clear who is working on what and how roles, tasks and responsibilities are distributed. If everyone knows what they can expect from each other, things run smoothly as a team.

5 TEAM DYSFUNCTIONALITY EXAMPLES

With his book ‘5 Dysfunctions of a Team’, Patrick Lencioni has written what amounts to a standard work about five central problem areas in teams:

1. Lack of trust: In teamwork, each member has to be able to trust each other member. This means dealing with weaknesses, mistakes, fears and misunderstandings in a transparent and open manner, which only works if nobody has to fear negative effects, i.e. if it is ‘safe’ for everyone to be frank, admit mistakes and ask questions.
2. Fear of conflict: Teams that trust each other and are not afraid to openly address issues and discuss problems and decisions are more successful. If divergent opinions are discussed transparently and things are questioned constructively, the best answers can be found together. Then teams can fully exploit the potential of their collective intelligence.
3. Lack of commitment: Only teams that are able to discuss in a committed and unfiltered way can achieve real commitment. Even if a part of the team disagrees or previously disagreed. Because they ensure that all opinions and ideas are considered and weighed up. Everyone knows that their experience matters.
4. Avoidance of responsibility: Teams that have bindingly agreed on decisions and performance standards do not hesitate to remind each other of the need to comply with these agreements. They communicate transparently and do not rely on their supervisor as the final authority. Instead, they address their colleagues directly.
5. Lack of focus on results: Teams that trust each other, approach conflicts constructively, act in a cohesive manner and remind each other of their responsibilities can achieve top performance together. And they can pursue the team goals single-mindedly. They also clearly indicate when individual interests stand in the way of the team's goals.

DRAWING UP A COOPERATION MANUAL

Drawing up a manual for cooperation may sound a little overdone and antiquated, but it is an effective way of advancing team development. Often referred to as a ‘playbook’, this manual contains concise information about the purpose, mission and values of the team. The values describe what is important to the team. It also contains principles of thinking and behaviour, as well as specific information about team activities - whether it be meeting procedures, processes, decision-making, or other aspects of collaboration. It also contains descriptions of items such as the tools and software used. Such a playbook provides orientation especially when onboarding new colleagues, for instance.

But the process of creating a collaboration playbook is just as important as the content. Starting from what is already working well, the team identifies the points that need to be changed a joint process. Solutions are sought by means of an iterative process. In this way, exactly those skills are developed and practiced that a high-performance team needs: the ability to reflect and develop at eye level.

OBJECTIVES AND KEY RESULTS

Objectives and Key Results, OKR for short, is a goal management system that helps organizations to implement their strategy and better focus on the issues and workstreams that create real value.

Objectives describe the goals to be achieved. It is about what is really new, i.e. which new level should be reached. This should not be confused with the achievement of sales targets that can be measured in monetary terms. These arise as a result of having achieved the objectives. The Key Results describe measurably whether a team or organization is on the right track to achieve the objectives.

OKRs are often defined on a quarterly basis. They are derived from the corporate strategy top-down by management and bottom-up through employees' experience and knowledge. Regular meetings aid the communication that a team needs to focus on the goals and work well.

There is much more to say about how OKRs can facilitate high-performance teams efficiently. We have shown numerous teams how they can use OKRs to work in a focused, goal-oriented and at the same time self-organized way.