To Drive Team Success, Focus on Team Dynamics 2-minute read Written by Shawn Bakker, Lead Psychologist Teams are dynamic, interdependent and adaptive groups that pursue a common goal. To be successful, teams need a culture and ways of working that allow people to come together in a dynamic, interdependent and adaptive way. This doesn’t happen by chance but requires conscious thought and effort. “Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.” Patrick Lencioni Our research with HR professionals has consistently shown that most team struggles revolve around how people work together, rather than a lack of technical skill or capabilities. This is why a team of experts does not automatically make an expert team. To improve a team’s dynamics requires actions by both leaders and team members. How Effective Teams Work – Psychometrics Webinar Leaders need to: Set the right conditions – communicate the importance of teamwork and provide the support and resources to enable it. Recognize and reward team behaviours. Work on team dynamics – you can start by getting the team together and answering the following questions What’s working well? What could be better? How should we perform differently in the future to be a better team (dynamic, interdependent, adaptive in pursuit of common goals). Team Members need to: Coordinate – involve the appropriate people at the appropriate time. Communicate – share information freely and timely. Collaborate – engage others to share ideas, identify solutions, and implement plans. The Foundation: Self-Awareness At the heart of these tasks for leaders and team members is the need for self-awareness and an understanding of others. Successful teams are composed of self-aware people who can effectively leverage different ideas and solutions that are brought by other members of the team. Assessments, like the Work Personality Index®, can be used to improve individual self-awareness and provide team data that gives insight into the group’s dynamics and an approach to address common team issues such as communication, collaboration, managing change, addressing conflict, and solving problems. The Role of HR and OD Professionals HR and OD professionals are in the position to help teams succeed. With the right data, you can deliver interventions that: Focus on team-relevant needs Respond to current or future needs Actively engage team members Directly impact needs that occur in the team’s life span Are systematically and strategically implemented Strengthen Your Teams To learn more about how you can help teams by leveraging individual and group data, download our guide to Supercharging Team Dynamics.
