“PEAK PERFORMING TEAMS”

THE SCIENCE OF PERFORMANCE

PerformanceVertical Consulting, LLC

"NOBODY'S PERFECT, BUT A TEAM CAN BE." 

Siemens CEO Klaus Kleinfeld

"WE WEREN'T THE MOST TALENTED TEAM IN THE LEAGUE LAST YEAR AND WE WEREN'T THE BEST TEAM, BUT WE PLAYED THE RIGHT KIND OF FOOTBALL AND DIDN'T PANIC WHEN ADVERSITY HIT.  THAT'S THE MARK OF A GOOD TEAM." 

--  BILL COWHER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS HEAD COACH

Bill Cowher, former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach

“Peak Performance is…

…the ability of the individual, team and/or organization to attain a consistent and sustainable level of high performance.”

What do these sports franchises have in common?

U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team New England Patriots New York Yankees Chicago Bulls San Francisco 49ers Dallas Cowboys Atlanta Braves

Team Profile

Icon or Inspirational Players The Greatest Challenge Constant Renewal of Challenge Raising the Bar Passion Family Innovation Commitment to Excellence Awareness of The Zone

Team Development Overview Definition of a Team Litmus Test for Teams Collective Work Product

(taken from Jon Katzenbach, The Wisdom of Teams)

Definition of a Team

A small number of people interdependent on their complementary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, performance, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable

Discipline of Teams

Simple, basic concepts Small number (6-12) Complimentary skills Meaningful purpose Clear performance goals Common working approach Mutual accountability for results

Types of Teams & Performance Units

High Performance Team Pseudo Team

Performance not required Real Team

Structured Lacks effectiveness or efficiency

Compromise Unit Lack of mission or roles

Single Leader unit No sharing of leadership

Working Group Relies on Individual performance

Identification of Purpose of a Team

Recommend things Make or do things Run or manage things

Transformational Innovation Problem solving

Operational Improvement teams

Capabilities Effectiveness

Litmus Test for Teams

The group focuses on shaping collective work products of clear value to the company

Members learn to shift and share leadership roles

Members are mutually accountable for the group’s results

Collective Work Product

The tangible results of the group applying different skills to produce a performance improvement not achievable by any members of the group working on their own

Requires a collective sense of urgency in order to justify group’s attention and diversion of time from primary responsibilities

Myths of Teams

Teamwork = Team Performance Cooperation + Sharing = Results Top Teams need to reach consensus One person can not make good decisions Team leaders need to change their

particular leadership style Top teams always function as a team Top teams must set the example for the

entire organization

Trade-offs of Teams

Speed or efficiency vs. performance Collective vs. individual work products Team vs. single-leader units Situation vs. “on-going” team

opportunities

Metrics (Campbell-Hallam TDS) Time and Staffing Information Material Resources Organizational

Support Skills Commitment Mission Clarity Team Coordination Team Unity

Individual Goals Empowerment Team Assessment Innovation Feedback Rewards Leadership Satisfaction Performance

THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM

Patrick Lencioni

Inattention to Results

Avoidance of Accountability

Lack of Commitment

Absence of Trust

Fear of Conflict

Five Dysfunctions

Implications

Invulnerability

Artificial Harmony

Ambiguity

Low Standards

Status and Ego

Absence of Trust

Conceal weaknesses and mistakes

Hesitate to help or offer constructive feedback, outside of their department

Jump to conclusions about intentions or aptitudes

Fail to recognize or tap into others’ skills

Waste time and energy managing their behaviors for effect

Hold grudges Dread meetings and

find reasons to avoid spending together

Members of Trusting Teams

Admit weaknesses and mistakes

Ask for help Accept questions and

input about their areas of responsibility

Give the benefit of the doubt

Take risks in offering feedback and assistance

Appreciate and tap into others’ skills

Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics

Offer and accept apologies with hesitation

Look forward to meetings and other group activities

Teams that fear conflict

Have boring meetings Create environments where back-

channel politics and personal attacks thrive

Ignore controversial topics Fail to tap into all the opinions of the

team Waste time and energy posturing and

managing personal risk

Teams that engage in conflict Have lively, interesting meetings Extract and leverage ideas of all the

team members Solve real problems quickly Minimize politics Put critical topics on the table for

discussion

Teams that fail to commit

Create excessive ambiguity among the team about direction and priorities

Watch windows of opportunity close due to excessive analysis and delay

Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure

Revisits discussions and decisions again and again

Encourages second-guessing among team members

Teams that commit

Create clarity around direction and priorities

Align the entire team around common objectives

Develop the ability to learn from mistakes

Take advantage of opportunities before competitors do

Move forward without hesitation Change direction without hesitation or

guilt

The team that avoids accountability

Creates resentment among team members who have different standards of performance

Encourages mediocrity Misses deadlines and key deliverables Places an undue burden on the team

leader as the sole source of discipline

Teams that hold one another accountable

Ensure that poor performers feel pressure to improve

Identify potential problems quickly by questioning one another’s approaches without hesitation

Establish respect among team members who are held to the same high standard

Avoid excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

Teams that are not focused on results

Stagnates/fails to grow Rarely defeats competitors Loses achievement-oriented employees Encourages team members to focus on

their own careers and individual goals Is easily distracted

Teams that focus on collective results

Retains achievement-oriented employees

Minimizes individualistic behavior Enjoys success and suffers failure

acutely Benefits from individuals who subjugate

their own goals/interests for the good of the team

Avoids distractions

Luis Valdes, Ph.D. – President & CEO

PerformanceVertical Consulting(404) 357-7335

www.performancevertical.com