How to Create a High Performance Team

All progressive organizations have the desire to perform at their maximum capability. Whether in sports or business, working effectively as a team is critical for optimal performance. As a leader, knowing how to create a high performance team is an asset as you work toward achieving the organization's goals and objectives.

Top teams are clear on goals

During the beginning phase, one of the essential tasks for a team is to be clear about what the team desires to accomplish. The goals should be shared, discussed, and embraced by all of its members. Setting goals will provide direction for the team and act as a standard for performance evaluation and feedback regarding achieving the organization's objectives.

When setting goals, use the SMART approach. In other words, the goals should be specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and timely. When setting measurable and realistic goals, be aware of the tendency to set goals that do not stretch you. On the contrary, the goal(s) should be challenging enough to get you out of your comfort zone and create a significant impact when realized.

Leadership style matters

For a team to perform at its highest level, there needs to be a team leader who is effective in helping the team members reach their highest potential. No matter how motivated the group is, there needs to be someone in charge to influence and facilitate the growth of the team's members and to ensure that the team stays focused on its goals.

Top-performing teams generally have leaders whose leadership style is more facilitative than the outdated leadership style, where the leader tells team members what to do (though this may be necessary at times). This new leadership style involves group members in the decision-making process, ultimately resulting in the members taking ownership of the team's plans and the team's failure or success. 

Keep the line of communication open

Communication is to an organization what blood is to a living being. Like most relationships, a communication breakdown is usually at the core of a team's inefficiency. One of the challenges in communication today is the medium with which to share relevant information. 

In some organizations, wireless communication is the communication medium of choice, while in others - such as sports teams - a face-to-face method is preferred. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon the leader to choose the best medium that matches her team's context or situation so that the relevant information can be adequately shared, received, understood, and acted executed.

Manage conflict

Every growing and productive team will, at some point in its life span, experience conflict. This eventuality is because people have different perspectives on the particular concerns causing the argument. Conflicts tend to escalate and sabotage the group's performance when the people in the group perceive that the actions taken by others will hurt their interests. 

Leaders can manage conflicts by taking a collaborative approach. Taking a collaborative approach means bringing everybody to the table as both the leader and the team search for mutually beneficial solutions that are in sync with the mission and purpose of the organization.

Build team cohesion 

One of the ways to build high performance teams is by building cohesion. Cohesion includes both task and social cohesion. Task cohesion involves the process of getting the jobs done and has members uniting around common goals and the acceptance of assigned roles. On the other hand, social cohesion is concerned with interpersonal relationships among team members, be it social activities within the office or outdoors. 

This sense of unity enables the team to be more productive and efficient in executing its duties. As Bill Taylor puts it, "Players win games, Teams win championships."