The Composition of High-Performing Teams

Music sheet

“Companies know that they dervice greater creativity and innovation from teamwork – but what, they wonder, makes a great team?” – Margaret Heffernan

A Team in Harmony

“We need to do that section again.  Bryan, you’re late in the second measure and the intonation in that final chord isn’t lining up. Your pitch is a little high.”

It was true. My colleague was right.

Our quartet had been rehearsing for over two hours. I was tired. It had already been a full day at work, followed by the gym, followed by dinner in the car on the way to rehearsal. It was now after 10:00 p.m. on a Thursday night. The pressure of the upcoming competition was starting to get to me.

“Ok, let’s do it again,” I said with a renewed sense of energy and urgency. “I’ll get it this time.”

Bryan Miles practicing in his group

I wish this is the part where told you how well it went when we played that part again…but, that’s not the case.  I didn’t get it.  We spent fifteen minutes more on that section and ended rehearsal for the evening.  As I packed up I knew it was on me to work that part on my own before our next rehearsal. I left rehearsal feeling frustrated with myself and a sinking feeling in my stomach.

In agile terms, I was the group’s major impediment at that moment.

We hear the term “high-performing team” thrown around everywhere: from conversations in the office (“We need to make our teams high performing”) to television (mostly referenced about sports teams) to articles and blog posts all over the web. This leaves many people with two big questions:

What, exactly, defines a high-performing team?
How can we, as coaches, help these teams develop?

Orchestration

In their book The Wisdom of Teams, Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith define a team as  “A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.”

Bryan Miles performing in a group

According to their research, high-performing teams display six key characteristics:

  • Small enough in numbers
  • Adequate levels of complementary skills
  • Truly meaningful purpose
  • Specific goal or goals
  • Clear working approach
  • Sense of mutual accountability

Of course, not all teams with these characteristics are “high-performing”. So, what defines a team as high-performing?

Peter Hawkins, a formidable voice in team coaching, explains:
“A team’s performance can best be understood through its ongoing ability to facilitate the creation of added value for the organization it is a part of, the organization’s investors, the team’s internal and external customers and supplier, its team members, the communities the team operates within, and the more than human world in which we reside.”

We know the environmental factors that must be present to create great teams, but in order for a team to be defined as high-performing, we need to look at the value they deliver.

Resonance

Looking at the above brief interaction with my quartet (small team number), we exhibit several of the components of high-performing teams:

There is a strong sense of vision and purpose.  We have many defined goals as we prepare for future performances and competitions, we enter rehearsals with a plan to address specific issues and areas of concern, we regularly record ourselves during rehearsal, listen to the recordings, evaluate, take notes, and come to rehearsals with notes about what we heard and things we have to fix (meaningful purpose and goals).

We have many defined goals as we prepare for future performances and competitions.

Over time we have developed a sense of security and safety in the group. We are open to discussing new and differing ideas; we have created an environment where we appreciate candid feedback even if it is hard to both give and receive; we are open to discussing new and differing ideas’ we listen as a member presents a new way of thinking about the music, we run an experiment to hear what the change sounds like, and then determine if we like it. This is something we have had to develop and refine over time with intention (clear working approach). 

The four of us are diverse in our skill sets. Aside from all being dedicated musicians, some of us are great at focusing on the technical aspects of playing together. Some of us are better at focusing on musicality, phrasing, and work in rehearsal to bring out the drama of the music. Some of us are the organizers who schedule rehearsals, concerts, gigs, and other playing opportunities. We all focus on building relationships within our group. This is a key part that can’t be taken for granted within teams. The relationship building must be intentional and continuous (adequate levels of complementary skills).

There is also a strong sense of mutual accountability within the group. The team relies on me to know and understand my part and to execute it flawlessly under pressure. This requires dedication outside of rehearsal. Each member spends several hours a week preparing and practicing before we rehearse as a group.

Our individual passion for and playing experiences come together to make the group what it is. Leadership roles change constantly, with each person stepping up when needed, just as in the music. There are no soloists. The music demands that we step up and be heard at times, but it more often requires we hold back and blend with the other players to support the lead line.

The Big Finale

Our companies want high performance. It’s up to us to help create the environment. So I challenge you to write your team’s story. Does your team display the six key characteristics of a high performing team?  What steps are you taking to help create high performance in your organizations?

We want to hear from you! 
And if you’re having problems fine-tuning your team, don’t wait for the Agile Fairy to arrive, we’re here to help!

Bryan Miles, Leadership & Agile Coach

By: Bryan Miles

Leadership’s Role in Creating Conversations for Performance and Change

Pliant Solutions would like to extend a huge Thank You! to all who attended our first Agile Innovation Series session at the Booz Allen Hamilton Innovation Center!

“Inspiration, mentor, and ‘Marsha groupie’” are just a few terms used to describe Marsha Acker’s influence and the impact she’s had on those around her. Not only was she a warm and engaging speaker, she presented a tool that can help us all become more effective communicators in both our personal and professional lives.

Without a doubt, I will not do her presentation justice in this summary, so I strongly encourage you to take a look at the whole presentation. Marsha demonstrated we can’t move forward and make real adaptive change without knowing at least one cause of the problem: incorrect communication patterns.

Luke Lackrone at the podium
Marsha Acker speaking at the front of the room.
A woman taking a picture of Marsha Acker

Click on the title slide for the whole PowerPoint presentation.

“Inspiration, mentor, and ‘Marsha groupie'” are just a few terms used to describe Marsha Acker’s influence and the impact she’s had on those around her. Not only was she a warm and engaging speaker, she presented a tool that can help us all become more effective communicators in both our personal and professional lives. Without a doubt, I will not do her presentation justice in this summary, so I strongly encourage you to take a look at the whole presentation. (Or better yet, attend her five-day course in December!) Marsha demonstrated we can’t move forward and make real adaptive change without knowing at least one cause of the problem: incorrect communication patterns.

Now, on to the heavily oversimplified version of Ms. Acker’s insightful presentation:

We want to change our organizational culture, but it’s hard.  As evidenced by Version One’s 11th Annual State of Agile Report, three of the top five difficulties in scaling agile are not technical challenges, but adaptive challenges, e.g., the people part of it.

As Marsha points out, we can’t tackle adaptive challenges with technical solutions. (If only it were that simple!)

Adaptive Change slide

Instead, we need to make the changes through dialogue.  In dialogue, there is a flow to the conversation that involves proposing new ideas, active support, critical thinking, and feedback and reflection, not the beating down or politicizing of ideas as in a Debate, or ploughing a field (weaving an argument) as in a Skillful Conversation.  At the end of Dialogue, the you should walk away from the conversation not knowing exactly who came up with the solution, as it was all part of the flow of an effective conversation.

But you know what?  That’s really hard because that involves intimacy with and awareness of each other, and–this is an important part– seeing where we, as individuals, fit into the problem.  When we work with the same people, often we fall into certain behaviors, or patterns.  The Kantor 4-Player Model identifies action propensities as Move, Follow, Oppose, and Bystand.  Each is viewed positively when used correctly.  Used incorrectly, they serve as an element of group dysfunction.

Move (initiates): Sets a direction, proposes a new idea or dominates

Follow (supports or finishes): Accepts the idea or proposal for action and supports it actively or mindlessly agrees

Oppose (challenges): Questions the direction, asks critical questions or obstructs

Bystand (bridges): Observes what’s going on, reflects and provides a neutral perspective or acts passively.

Our actions change depending on the setting, situation, or the group in which we’re interacting.  In certain situations, you may tend to Move, while in other situations you may tend to Bystand.  At any rate, Marsha offers us a model to identify stuck patterns that prevent us from making change. (George E.P. Box says, All models are wrong, but some are useful. This one IS useful!)

Serial Move: Everyone in the group dominates the next action.  (Often times, there is a person in the group who is the “Mover.”  In true dialogue, however, there should be no “roles.”)

Courteous Compliance: Everyone in the group mindlessly agrees with the person that suggests–or dominates– the move.

Point-Counterpoint: A move that is suggested–ahem, dominated– is met with flat out obstruction.

Covert Opposition: In this situation, a move is dominated and the group says they’ll follow, but then acts in opposition.  Or, the group Bystands passively, but then acts in opposition.

While certain negative stuck patterns emerge, each positive propensity is vital to dialogue. Embracing them will not only provide a new awareness to your conversations, but a greater possibility for enriched dialogue, helping us to lead effectively.

Kantor 4-Player Model

In achieving dialogue– in moving a team forward– we have to be able to recognize the stuck patterns,  identify the role we play in the stuck pattern, andchange the pattern.  In other words, read the room:

Again, we’d like to give a big thanks so Marsha Acker for her informative presentation and to Booz Allen for hosting our first Agile Innovation Series!