7 Team Effectiveness Models to Get the Best Performance From Your Teams
Putting together a high-performing, effective team is fundamental to business success.
But how do you know what an effective team actually looks like?
And what can you do to ensure that your team is coming together in the right way to produce the outcomes you want?
Luckily, there are several team effectiveness models you can use to ensure you get the best performance from your teams.
In this article, we’ll take a look at:
1) What is a team effectiveness model, and
2) 7 team effectiveness models that you can use to get the best performance from your teams
What is a team effectiveness model?
A team effectiveness model gives you a research-based framework for comprehending what's going on within your team, and can assist you in creating approaches and strategies for more effective teamwork.
The kinds of questions a team effectiveness model can assist in answering are:
What could hinder a team from operating at its peak capacity?
What leads to a group's dysfunction?
What is required for team members to perform at their best?
How must individuals collaborate in order to realize everyone's potential?
There are several different team effectiveness models for examining team function, and the usefulness of each depends on the types of issues you are looking to address in your team.
Here are 7 team effectiveness models to get the best performance from your teams.
7 Team Effectiveness Models
1. The Hackman Team Effectiveness Model
The Hackman Team Effectiveness Model was designed by Richard Hackman and outlined in his 2002 book, “Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances."
Team dynamics, morale, and the concept of servant leadership are given a lot of attention in this model.
Making sure your teams have the resources they require and maintaining active communication to be informed of developments are the main takeaways.
The five elements in his model are:
Being a Real Team - The members of your team must share a task, the team's boundaries must be clear about who belongs and doesn't, and the group membership must be steady.
Compelling Direction - The direction or ultimate objective is very clear.
Enabling Structure - Processes and workflows help the team accomplish their objectives.
Supportive Context - The team is helped in achieving its objectives through resources, tools, and training.
Expert Coaching - Able to recognize which team members need coaching and help from you with a task or who could use some interpersonal skill development through your day-to-day administration of the team.
2. The T7 Team Effectiveness Model
The T7 team model of effectiveness was developed in 1995 by Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger.
Based upon their review of the research literature, they identified five factors inside the team and two factors outside the team which impact team effectiveness.
All of the factors start with the letter "T," hence the T7 model.
Internal factors:
Thrust - a common purpose about what needs to be accomplished or team goal(s)
Trust - in each other as teammates
Talent - the collective skills of the team members to get the job done.
Teaming skills - operating effectively and efficiently as a team
Task skills - executing successfully or getting the job done
External factors:
Team leader fit - the degree to which the team leader satisfies the needs of the team members
Team support from the organization - the extent to which the leadership of the organization enables the team to perform
In total, the five internal factors consist of 18 dimensions of team effectiveness.
The authors argue that all five internal factors have to be present for teams to be high performing.
However, teams cannot be high performing unless the necessary organizational and leadership support also are provided.
3. Tuckman’s Team Development Model
The Tuckman Team Development Model was created by psychologist Bruce Tuckman and published in 1965 and is one of the most commonly referred to models in the team development literature.
According to the Tuckman Team Development Model, an effective team goes through five stages as it develops and then disbands. The model helps highlight what activities are relevant at each stage of development and the areas which may cause the team and/or project to fail.
Forming: Your team is only coming together at this point. Each team member is unsure about how they fit into the group, how the group will function, how you will manage them, and whether they will be successful during this phase.
Storming: As team members learn how to function as a unit, they start to become more open, share their preferred working methods, and develop trust.
Norming: The team develops a clear sense of who they are at this point, internalizes the team's processes, and becomes more effective.
Performing: At this point, the team is performing at its most effective and productive level. As trust grows, people are inspired to cooperate to achieve common objectives.
Adjourning: Following the completion of the project, an evaluation is conducted to determine the effectiveness of the team, recognize individual contributions, and make adjustments as necessary.
4. Rubin, Plovnick, and Fry's GRPI Team Effectiveness Model
Richard Beckhard first proposed the GRPI (goals, roles, processes, and interpersonal connections) concept in 1972, and it was subsequently developed by Rubin, Plovnick, and Fry in 1977.
It is one of the most well-known models for team efficiency and has the following four elements:
Goals: Teams need to have specific goals for both the individual members and the team as a whole in order to function at their best.
Roles: There are clearly defined tasks and responsibilities with leadership accountability.
Procedures: The team must have established procedures in order to function effectively.
Interpersonal relationships: Strong relationships that are based on mutual trust, respect, and clear communication are essential for a team's success.
The GRPI model helps identify the issue and provide a solution for dysfunctional teams that aren't meeting their objectives or have lost their way.
5. The Lencioni Team Effectiveness Model
The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team is a book by Patrick Lencioni (2002) that flips the narrative and focuses on what factors undermine high performing and effective teams and can cause them to fail.
Lencioni proposes that by being aware of your team's weaknesses, you can build and lead a more efficient team.
The five team dysfunctions are as follows:
Absence of trust: Trust may not develop if team members are unable to be open and vulnerable with one another.
Fear of conflict: Healthy disagreement is an essential element of innovation and performance, and if your team avoids it at all costs, they may become stagnant and underperform.
Lack of commitment: Any team member's lack of commitment will hinder decision-making and cause deadlines to be missed.
Avoidance of accountability: Teams must hold each other and themselves accountable for success. Without accountability, success is impossible.
Inattention to results: The team won't succeed in reaching its objectives if they aren't focused on them.
Managers who wish to understand what might be harmful to a team's success, avoid it, and learn how to manage it if the circumstance occurs, can benefit from learning more about this model.
6. The Katzenbach and Smith Model
The Katzenbach and Smith Model was developed by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith in 1993 and described in their book 'The Wisdom of Teams', after studying teams facing various types of business issues.
The Katzenbach and Smith team effectiveness model provides a way to measure team performance that emphasizes both task results and team procedures.
The model aims to resolve problems in a proactive manner and promotes positive attitudes and actions.
The three aims indicated by the points of the triangle in the Katzenbach and Smith model are:
Personal growth: To maintain team members' motivation, productivity, and satisfaction with their professional development, it's critical to monitor each member's progress.
Collective output: Deliverables from the team are a crucial objective and a quantifiable sign of success. In the end, a team exists because of the work it generates.
Performance results: A key objective is to ensure that the team's work process is effective. The productivity and efficiency of a process will increase if waste is eliminated.
The Katzenbach and Smith model's triangle sides each represent one of the following team effectiveness factors:
Accountability: Members of the team must be accountable to one another as well as to their own work individually.
Commitment: This is motivated by a clear, shared purpose for the team, a cohesive strategy, and precise objectives to carry it out.
Skills: Team members must possess the abilities required for their jobs. These frequently involve communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Additionally, Katzenbach and Smith list the following six crucial elements for successful team performance:
Size of the team (small enough to ensure efficient function)
Complimentary skills
Meaningful purpose
Specific goals
Clear working approach
Sense of mutual accountability
7. The LaFasto and Larson Model
In 2001, Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson proposed the "Five Dynamics of Team Work and Collaboration," a different model of team performance.
According to their approach, the following 5 elements boost the possibility of team effectiveness:
Team members: Selecting the appropriate people for the team is the first step. It's about being a good listener, working together, being honest, being encouraging, and having a positive attitude.
Team relationship: When choosing team members, take into account the group's interpersonal cohesiveness.
Team problem-solving: Conflict can be reduced and decision-making can be improved with good working relationships.
Team leadership: A group's success as a whole is enhanced by strong leadership. It is important for leaders to grow in their sense of accountability, managerial skills, and capacity for coordination and communication.
Organization environment: Think about the subtle and explicit corporate culture you are creating.
Source: AIHR
This model of team effectiveness places a strong emphasis on group thinking and is best suited for managers who wish to understand the dynamics of cooperation and collaboration.
What are the five elements of team effectiveness?
The five elements of team effectiveness are psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning and impact.
Psychological Safety: Psychological safety is the capacity to express oneself without worrying about unfavourable given answers. It can be accomplished by creating a positive work environment. Employees may perform to their full ability, get constructive criticism, and take risks alongside their coworkers in a safe working environment.
Dependability: Everyone on the team has tasks and duties that make team-related work transparent. It will promote cognitive team interaction by enabling team members to depend on one another for task completion. Employee involvement may rise as a result of this.
Structure and Clarity: In order for all team members to properly comprehend the changes, team goals must be consistently presented at meetings and in between sessions. To cut down on lost time, each team meeting should have a clear agenda and a designated leader. High-performing teams are aware of how and what has to be done to accomplish their objectives by the end of the meeting.
Meaning: Finding purpose in one's job enables team members to feel that their work is worthwhile and offers chances for personal development. For various people, job serves a variety of purposes. Financial stability, professional advancement, assistance for family, helping the team reach goals, self-expression, and the like.
Impact: It is important to discuss and remind the team of the bigger picture, as well as how their job directly contributes to and impacts the organization's long-term objectives.
FAQs
How do you improve team effectiveness?
You can improve team effectiveness through training and development, setting clear objectives, defining team member roles and responsibilities, and ensuring that the team has a common mission, with buy-in from all team members.
Training and development- Investment in training and development is money well spent, according to studies, with up to 68% of employees considering it as the most crucial workplace policy.
Have clear objectives- Establishing and outlining precisely what success will look like for a particular project is of the utmost significance to a leader and the team’s success.
Define roles- Everyone will need a solid foundation of trust and understanding when defining tasks and roles since this will enable your team to engage in constructive disputes and help you assign work to be done.
Common mission, goal, and culture- Whatever role team members play individually, the concept that their everyday actions don't exist in isolation but matter as a part of a grand, noble cause always inspires and motivates them to offer their best effort. Also, culture significantly impacts team productivity and is frequently what sets you apart as an employer.
What are the 3 most important things needed for effective teamwork?
The three most important things needed for effective teamwork are mutual trust and respect, communication, and accountability for results.
Mutual trust and respect- Everyone on the team must have confidence in one another's ability to complete tasks promptly, openly exchange information, and reach a consensus on choices.
Communication- Your team has to be able to depend on each other to convey the big picture and maintain forward progress, and team members freely contribute ideas and welcome innovations.
Accountability for results- Establish strict goals and adhere strictly to all due dates and benchmarks.
