Strategic HR Technology Investment: A Comprehensive Checklist for Global HR Teams
There are teams and then there are high performance teams.
High-performance teams or HPTs, as they are commonly known in organizational development are teams whose performance is generally above par, when compared to other teams. Not only do they outperform other teams, but they also play a big role in driving organizational success and consistently exceed expectations when it comes to goals that are set for them.
Organizations that have HPTs know that getting the right team together is not a perfect science. It’s a little bit of trial and error, as it is with most other things in the workplace. The formula that makes teams tick varies from team to team. However, there are a few characteristics that remain the same across the board. Tapping into these characteristics, or rather keeping an eye out for them can help senior leads build teams that are destined for greatness.
Intelligence is good. Intelligence is great. But in no way is intelligence an adequate substitute for compatibility. Many of us labor under the assumption that intelligence is one of the defining factors when it comes to choosing employees to be a part of a high-performing team. As mentioned before, intelligence is a good skill to have but it should never be the main criteria when it comes to putting together a team. Being intelligent means being able to write masterful code, create explosive content, break sales records, etc. However, intelligence cannot always create a cohesive working environment and neither can intelligence always be resourceful or adaptive as the situation calls for it.
On the other hand, openness ensures that team members are receptive to whatever situations come their way. There’s no question about not being able to solve a problem because they do not have the skillset. Rather, their mindset helps them look for other solutions or other people with the skillset necessary to solve the problem.
Communication might seem like an overrated skill, but in all honesty, the ability to clearly communicate not only your ideas but also your concerns, your hopes, your problems, etc can nip many a problem in the bud and even save the day on many an occasion.
Team members who communicate with each other clearly, be in good times or bad have no problems communicating their needs or even resolving conflicts. And communication is not something that can help teams internally only. Good communication skills can help teams interact with other teams, convey their ideas and concerns and even showcase their goals for the future.
The way we work does say a lot about how well one will work with others. And the same goes for teams as well. Teams who mesh well together have a greater chance of improving productivity, simply because it is so easy to work with each other. Not only are they comfortable, but they also share understanding, are open-minded and do not see dissenting opinions as personal attacks. One key aspect of high-performance teams is that they welcome diversity because they appreciate new perspectives, in fact, they actively welcome them. It does not bode well to have everyone on the team to follow the same mindset in terms of work culture. Rather, teams benefit when there’s a good mix of different people who despite their differences do surprisingly well together, simply because they are open to other ways of working and doing things. In teams like this, everybody shares an understanding that is the end goal that matters, not the process with respect to how you reach it.
Engagedly is a performance management application with elements of employee engagement. To find out how we can help you improve communication at the workplace and drive engagement at your organization, request a demo today!
