Effective teams are capable of delivering exceptional results.  So what are my 6 top tips for making teams more effective?

 

Tip 1:  Focus on performance

Give the team a real performance challenge to address rather than setting up a committee to talk about an issue.

 

Tip 2:  Give them a clear purpose

Avoid being vague about the purpose.  Be crystal clear on what the purpose is.  If it is to reduce the cycle time by two hours on a process make it clear that this is what the purpose is.

 

Tip 3:  Get the right skills

You are setting up a team to fail if you don’t ensure it has the right mix and blend of skills in the team.

 

Tip 4:  Support in addressing skill deficiencies

If you are the team leader, make sure you address skill deficiencies rather than let them be a barrier.

 

Tip 5: Create conditions for effective teamwork

You need to ensure that the team is truly dependent on each other to deliver and that the performance and reward structures are geared towards team rather than individual performance.

 

Teams have the potential to deliver exceptional performance.  What else would you add to the list of tips to make teams more effective?