Is teamwork one of your organization’s values? We see it in many of our clients’ organizations. But the real question is, is teamwork really valued and effective in your organization? How do you know?
In a recent research paper published by McKinsey Quarterly, some interesting facts were noted, including the key team health drivers of effective teams that collectively explain between 69 and 76 percent of the differences between low- and high- performing teams in three key outcomes: efficiency, results, and innovation. The three health drivers correlated with these outcomes are: trust, communication, innovative thinking. To varying degrees another health driver is important — decision-making skills.
Three Key Outcomes of Effective Teams
As I read the paper, the three outcomes seemed strangely familiar. Where else do we see a focus on efficiency, results, and innovation? In the Baldrige Excellence Framework and the 2025 Baldrige Award Criteria, of course! Yet strangely, the word “team” doesn’t appear in either, and “teamwork” is only found in two Glossary definitions. I think that absence may be explained, in part, by myths often surrounding teams that this research goes to pains to debunk stating, “Team effectiveness is less art, more science.”
The Three Archetypes of Teams
Using sports analogies, the authors described three different types of teams. The first is analogous to a team of cyclists. Although the team members may work together to draft or support each other, each cyclist rides on their own and makes individual decisions during the race. The second is similar to a track relay team, where each team member is responsible for completing their own segment in the best possible time but must coordinate with other runners to pass the baton smoothly. The third is a rowing team where the outcome interdependence is the highest of the types. Synchronization and role definition are key.
Improving the Effectiveness of Your Teams
How effective are the teams in your organization? How do you know? I encourage you to read this article in its entirety.
https://mck.co/3UzyImm There are many more insights than I can describe in this brief blog. The next step would be to identify the various teams in your organization – those naturally occurring ones formed by departments and those that perform cross-functional process work, those required by time-bound projects, and some ad hoc teams formed to implement quality improvements. For each team, it would be useful to determine their archetype to see what key team health drivers are likely to be most important for their effectiveness. And all teams should receive training on how to improve in areas where gaps are identified. “Armed with this (research) evidence, leaders can scale more healthy teams that raise performance levels and create more value across the organization.”
