The high-performing team

Introduction

Yesterday, individual performance was the only standard; today the performance of the team becomes prevalent. Solving complex problems requires collaborative work. The solutions to these problems depend on the team members and their ability to work together effectively.

The strength of the team is not just the accumulation of its members, but in a particular alchemy which makes that 1 + 1 is more than 2. Each of its members must be an individual in its own right, however without having an ego. overdeveloped. The team operates in an "I" and "we" tension that creates a bit of friction, enough to find solutions beyond the soft underbelly. The functioning of the team is based on 5 dimensions described in the infographic below.

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This team is immersed in an organizational culture of psychological safety (New York times - What Google learned) defined by Google in 2016 which is expressed through the right to make mistakes, freedom of speech… Amy Edmondson, Professor of Leadership & Management at Harvard Business School is the author of the book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth.

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This book "offers practical advice for teams and organizations who truly want to succeed in the modern economy. With so much innovation, creativity and sparks, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent, but what good is this talent if no one is able to express themselves? The traditional culture of integration and support is inevitable in the knowledge economy. Success requires a continuous influx of new ideas, new challenges and critical thinking, and the interpersonal climate should not suppress, silence, ridicule or intimidate. Not all ideas are good, and yes, there are dumb questions, and yes, dissent can slow things down. , but talking about these things is an essential part of the creative process.People should be allowed to express half-finished thoughts, ask questions from the left brain, and think aloud; this creates a culture in which it a minor error or a momentary error is not serious, and where the real mistakes are recognized and corrected, and where the next left brain idea might be the next big thing.

This book explores this culture of psychological safety and provides a blueprint for bringing it to life. The road can be bumpy at times, but succinct, informative, scenario-based explanations provide a clear path to constant learning and healthy innovation.

. Explore the link between psychological safety and high performance.

. Create a culture where it is “safe” to express ideas, ask questions and admit mistakes.

. Foster the level of commitment and openness required in today's knowledge economy.

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Follow a step-by-step framework for establishing psychological safety in your team or organization. "

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We, D+HINKING, have developed a model to help teams scale up. It is based on the 5 interdependent dimensions, key to high performance. Trust is central and the key to any relationship, and of course, within a team.

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Such a model is used at the start of a project to form a team. This gives her a model on which she can rely to identify points of attention in her team functioning.

We often use it during innovation sprints and bootcamps to kick off teams as shown below in this video.

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1. Trust

It happens when team members accept being vulnerable with each other and are willing to admit their mistakes, weaknesses or needs for help. With a certain level of comfort among team members, a foundation of trust is possible.

Such trust is the sine qua non of all life in society: from the couple to democracy. And this is the essential criterion for choosing team members. Do you have enough confidence in him or her? This infographic indicates to what extent recruiting is determining in the performance of a business.

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2. User centricity

The more the user is identified, the more the team will be able to engage. User centricity is key to the success of a team. She doesn't work for herself. It is at the service of a user. The more she understands it, the more she will be able to respond to her needs quickly and precisely at the risk of otherwise building something that nobody wants ("Building something nobody wants"). The team uses different approaches such as design thinking, sustainable design ou le user journey. 

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3. Dare to say

Teams with confidence are able to engage in heated and confrontational debate. Conflict, which is non-interpersonal, allows team members to engage in decisions. Otherwise it turns into hallway discussions that undermine team engagement. This requires each member of the team to assert themselves, to be in a balanced dare to say. In other words, everyone must have an original thought in the sense that it is specific to him. And this is the opposite of conformism as illustrated by this video.

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4. Co-responsability

When the team commits to a clear action plan, all of its members feel co-responsible for the deliverables and it is possible to remind them of what they are committed to. The team doesn't work for a boss. She is co-responsible for what she delivers even though one of them is ultimately responsible to the hierarchy.

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5. Focus

Team members focus on team goals and results beyond their own needs (egos, career development, recognition, etc.). This means being clear about what needs to be done.

6. The team in the core of our model

Innovation and transformation are done by individuals in successive teams: from leadership to operational. This model of innovation and transformation is organized with roles, operating modes & deliverables defined by team associated with a stage of the process.

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7. An example of high performing teams

During sustainable design or design thinking sprints, teams work together to better understand the users of existing or future products & services.

This video is a great example of teams working on themselves in continuous improvement during a bootcamp to gradually improve their performance. Innovation and transformation essentially depend on the performance of such teams.

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The learning by doing workshop High Performing Team (HPT)

And for those who would like to experiment with the empowered team to perform better, we have designed an experiential workshop to be lived as a team: HPT's member.

You become a team member of a certified HPT.

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The adaptive lead

And for those who wish to experiment different types of leadership to empower high performing teams, we have designed an experiential workshop to develop your leadership capabilities: Adaptive lead.

You become a certified adaptive lead.

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The learning by doing agile team coach

And for those who would like to practice team coaching to empower a team, we have designed an experiential training: agile team coach.

You become a certified agile team coach.

Other roles are complementary such as facilitator, design thinker, service designer, UX designer or sustainable designer. Discover it in the online workshop catalogue.

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