Why Singapore badly needs high performing teams

Raw talent will only take your business so far. It is strong teams made up of talented individuals that help companies succeed in today’s increasingly complex business environment. But often the top talent is focused on their personal career development and progression. Hasthe increasing focus on individual skills and capability detracted attention from the great skill of team play? As we know, many of the best results are achieved when an effective team is in operation.

The notion of the ‘high performance’ team has been around since the 1950s when the term was first coined in the United Kingdom. Since then, the concept has been used to describe the anatomy of winning sporting sides, business units and other successful teams. 

The high performing team is united by a clear purpose that is so compelling that each member willingly provides the extra effort – or discretionary effort – required to make peak performance their norm. Each member understands not only how their role impacts on their fellow team members but also the overall success of the organisation.

So how can you develop your high performing staff into an even higher performing team?

While the relationships that exist inside teams are too varied and nuanced to apply a ‘one-size-fits-all’ formula, there are a number of typical characteristics that bind high-performing teams together, which you can develop in your own team.

Firstly, provide strong and inspiring leadership to get the best from a team of individuals used to high performance on a personal level.

Secondly, provide clear roles and a clear purpose.  Make sure people know what is expected of them and know what to do to achieve the required results. And make them accountable for their performance.

Monitor. Even a high performance team requires monitoring to identify what is working and what isn’t. Watch the relationships and behaviours of the team and how it works together, handles conflict and develops trust. This should apply to both self managed teams and those that are lead. You can then make changes as needed.

If there is a change to a team because someone leaves, the experts recommend taking the time to re-establish the fundamentals, including ensuring each team member understands their role and tasks as well as their purpose and their expectations of one another. This will allow the team to operate free of politics to focus solely on performance.

Getting these basics right vastly increases the chances of a team functioning as well as intended.

For more information, see the latest Hays Journal, which looks at how the theory behind high performing teams has been put into practice by some of the world’s most successful companies. The case histories show how creating a high performing team can help a company achieve sustained high performance even through change.