Characteristics of a Great Team

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, it’s likely that you’ve been a part of a dysfunctional team. On this dysfunctional team, there’s a good chance team members don’t communicate well, or even at all. The lack of communication leads to a lack of trust. The lack of trust leads to negative assumptions where one team member automatically assumes that another team member doesn’t like them, is out to undermine their success, or wants to take all the credit for the team’s success. If this isn’t enough to ensure a dysfunctional team, this one last characteristic will clinch the deal: on dysfunctional teams, more often than not, the team members have a strong opinion and ego that they’re right and the other team members are wrong. All these team characteristics lead to one team member blaming another team member for all the things that go wrong on the team.

So what leads to this high level of dysfunction? Our research with teams tells us that the following factors help promote team dysfunction and, thankfully, keep us in business.

Strong individual contributors: Individually, team players are technically competent and can produce the results they need without much reliance on other members of the team.

Individual rewards: Individuals are rewarded for their own results. There’s no reason to work as a team if you not only keep your job, but receive your full bonus. Sometimes we see individual team players who are actually rewarded for not collaborating with other team members (the last team member who complained about the highly competent individual contributor was fired).

Values: If individual results are what is recognized and rewarded, and there is no value placed on teamwork, communication, and collaboration, then it will be difficult to see any improvement in the areas of teamwork.

Leadership: Managers who don’t like conflict, tend to deal with a lack of teamwork one-on-one, rather than bringing together the people who don’t work well as a team and discussing the problem and the need to fix it collaboratively. These same managers fail to take a stand and hold people accountable. When there are no consequences for the people who treat people disrespectfully or fail to work as a team, it will be difficult to permanently change the culture to one that’s focused on working as a team.

Although a team was dysfunctional yesterday, there is hope that tomorrow can bring better teamwork, communication and collaboration. The following seven teamwork qualities, if practiced by each member, will help build a stronger and more cohesive team.

Common vision and goals: There needs to be a reason or purpose for a group of people to work together. That reason could be producing even higher results as a group, becoming more efficient, cutting down on stress, or even making work more fun. A great question to ask yourself is, “If no one else on the team supported me or communicated with me, could I still be successful in getting my job accomplished?” In reality, if no one else is hindered from accomplishing their goals by your lack of teamwork and communication, you probably don’t need to be a part of a team.

Common values: If you ask a leader in an organization, “How much can you steal before you are fired from this organization?” most will tell you something like this, “You steal, you will be fired.” This is an example of the value of honesty and integrity. If you violate a value, you will be disciplined or fired. Few organizations value teamwork to the point that if an employee doesn’t communicate, collaborate, and work well with other team members, they’ll be fired. If teamwork is not a value, you’re better off not having it on your walls with posters and papers saying otherwise.

Focus on team results: With common vision, values, and goals, the end result should be greater than what any one individual can achieve.

Assume positive intent: Believe that other team members do want to do the right thing for both the company and the team. The opposite of positive intent is looking for reasons why team members exhibit behaviors that undermine the team or other team members. You’ll find them whether you believe team members want to fully contribute or not. Either way, you’ll prove yourself right.

Be a leader: Whether or not the manager of the team takes the lead in building teamwork, employees still have the ability to do the right thing and take the necessary actions that improve communication, collaboration and teamwork.

Self-confidence and respect: If a team member leaves you out of important communications or treats you disrespectfully, call them on it. If they’re in the same geographic location, push your chair back and go talk to them. Look them right in the eye and tell them what your concerns are and ask why they chose not to include you. Ask what they/you can do differently so this doesn’t happen again and you can continue to build strong communication and collaboration on the team. You may be asking, “Doesn’t everyone do this?” No; people with low self-confidence and respect send a 10 page email to their boss, complaining about and blaming the other members of the team.

Value diversity: A team that has people who are different (communication style; behavioral style; leadership style) will outperform a team where everyone is alike over time. Why? Because diverse teams see things differently, do things differently, and usually, because of diversity, are able to figure out better ways to win. It helps to be a team member who truly believes you can be even better because of the other team members who surround you. To expect others to do things the same way you would do them is only going to breed conflict and leave you highly disappointed.

Great leaders recognize the importance of teamwork and work hard to foster an environment of collaboration. Their everyday actions show team members that thinking, planning, making decisions and taking action are best done cooperatively. Taking this collaborative approach consistently demonstrates that “none of us is as good as all of us” and adds to the characteristics of a good team.