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  • 1.  High Performance Teams

    Posted 11-18-2020 07:56

    Having high performing and productive teams is a goal of many organizations. However, many teams fail to perform well and do not meet their goals. Have you been on a high performing team? What makes some teams perform better than others? What makes a team high performing?

     



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    Rose Klimovich
    Manhattan College
    Riverdale NY
    9083134641
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  • 2.  RE: High Performance Teams

    Posted 11-23-2020 17:49
    Good discussion topic, Rose.  And especially now in this time of remote working, limited travel, limited in-person interaction.
    A good article from McKinsey & Company "High Performing teams: A timeless leadership topic" highlights some tried and true practices to improve the effectiveness of teams.  Although the article is from 2017, the information shared is still relevant.  (Except, of course for the suggested in-person 2 day team building workshop.)  Team composition and team dynamics need to drive diversity in thought and deed.  Accordiing to the McKinsey article, as well as my own experience: Based on a multi-year survey of more than 5000 executives, there are three key dimensions of great teamwork. "The first is alignment on direction, where there is a shared belief about what the company is striving toward and the role of the team in getting there. The second is high-quality interaction, characterized by trust, open communication, and a willingness to embrace conflict. The third is a strong sense of renewal, meaning an environment in which team members are energized because they feel they can take risks, innovate, learn from outside ideas, and achieve something that matters-often against the odds."
    I've been a member and leader of many teams over the years.  Both professional and volunteer.  I agree that it is much more satisfying, and productive, and fun, to be on a high performing team.

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    [Sue] [Burek] [NPDP]
    [kHUB Administrator]
    [PDMA]
    [Huntersville] [NC]
    [585-314-4611]
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  • 3.  RE: High Performance Teams

    Posted 04-15-2021 15:38
    Thank you for linking that article, Susan.  I always find team composition and subsequent performance interesting to read about.  I would like to piggy back on your comment a little bit by adding that the structure of the organization can greatly impact the effectiveness of teaming within the company.  I remember reading an excerpt from the 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends article (page 55) "Rewarding the Right Behavior" subsection.  The main point is that the structure of the C-suite in an organization as well as the rewards program can greatly impact the way teams are formed within the company.  In 2018-2019 as little as 17% of C-suite executives polled "regularly collaborate on long-term independent work." 

    The basic idea is one we have heard before: if you want to change something you need to measure it and dedicate resources to it.  If companies encourage C-suite executives to collaborate and team more often as well as support that behavior with a rewards system that takes team performance into account then companies will be more likely to build high performing teams among all of their employees.  Reconfiguring performance management to include measurable team-based metrics is essential if you want high performing teams to happen by more than just chance.  Once the company has those basic building blocks in place, they can really take advantage of analyzing team compositions and dynamics like you talked about.

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    Jeffrey Bucciarelli
    Oakland University
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  • 4.  RE: High Performance Teams

    Posted 04-15-2021 22:06
    Thanks for sharing, Susan. I appreciate you sharing the McKinsey & Company article too, as I thought it was a great read. I've quickly realized in my young career that leading a team is the largest motivating factor for me in my day-to-day work. I currently manage a team of three in my position, and I can honestly say that it's something that I love to do. It challenges me constantly, and always has me thinking of ways to improve Team Effectiveness. I love that you've boiled this down into three key dimensions. I have a few thoughts on each one.

    1.) Alignment on Direction: We refer to this as our "Why" on our team. We feel like our "Why" should answer questions like "Why are we doing all this?" and "What is our end goal?". As a team, we've come up with a goal/purpose for everything that we do. Whenever we need guidance, we can always refer back to this core goal as a guiding light.

    2.) High-Quality Interaction: Luckily, I've been blessed with an amazing team so a lot of our positive interactions come naturally. We know that's hard to come by, so we always go out of our way to keep building team chemistry. One simple way we've done this remotely is during our Friday Team Lunch meetings. We work really hard throughout the week, but we always make time for team lunch together on Fridays. We make a point to avoid any "work talk" during this time so the focus is just on having fun and refreshing as a team.

    3.) Strong Sense of Renewal: At our company, we have a saying that encourages team members to "Fail Fast". That basically creates the mindset that it's okay to fail. If we're ever exploring a new opportunity, we're always invited to dive in head first and trust our instincts. If we're unsure, we'd rather make a minor mistake and "Fail Fast" as opposed to slowly deliberating and avoiding action. It's a saying that I feel has really helped our company culture.

    Thanks again for sharing. Appreciate all the great insight.

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    Kyle LaPine
    MBA Student
    Oakland University
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  • 5.  RE: High Performance Teams

    Posted 11-24-2020 10:55
    I just noticed that the Pittsburgh Chapter is hosting a webinar on this topic Dec 9
    "How Inclusion Drives High-Performance Product Teams" 
    You can register here 


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    [Sue] [Burek] [NPDP]
    [kHUB Administrator]
    [PDMA]
    [Huntersville] [NC]
    [585-314-4611]
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