Is high performance the same as working under pressure? What do we mean when we say that a company has high-performance teams? Before delving into this work model, it’s important to clarify that it’s not an old-fashioned or exhausting practice for employees, but rather a way to achieve maximum efficiency and focus on specific objectives to be more productive.
Do you want to learn more about high performance, skills, and competencies? We’ll tell you everything in this post!
A high-performance team is a group of people who work together collaboratively and efficiently to achieve specific goals. These teams stand out for their ability to solve problems creatively, make quick and effective decisions, and adapt swiftly to changes. Additionally, these teams usually have open and fluent communication, mutual trust among members, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and a shared commitment to common goals.
Let’s look at some of the main characteristics of high-performance teams:
Effective communication: Encouraging open, clear, and honest communication among team members is essential for successful results. This facilitates the exchange of ideas, opinions, and constructive feedback.
Mutual trust: When members trust one another, a work environment is created where ideas can be shared, risks can be taken, and conflicts can be resolved constructively.
Clear and shared goals: A key characteristic of high-performance teams is that they set well-defined objectives, and everyone is aligned to work toward achieving those common goals. Thanks to this focus, objectives are reached more efficiently.
Defined roles and responsibilities: Each member understands their role within the team and the responsibilities it entails, allowing for a fair distribution of tasks and maximizing efficiency.
Collaboration and mutual support: There is a culture of collaboration where members support one another, sharing knowledge and skills to achieve the team’s objectives.
Efficient decision-making: Decisions are made quickly and based on consensus or analysis, leveraging diverse opinions and collective knowledge.
Adaptability and flexibility: The team can adapt quickly to internal and external changes, maintaining efficiency and focus on its goals.
Effective leadership: There is a leader or leaders who foster a positive, motivating work environment that inspires team members to reach their full potential.
A high-performance team requires specialized and diverse technical skills that complement collective work. These competencies include deep knowledge in their respective areas, the ability to solve complex problems skillfully, the capacity to quickly adapt to new technologies and methodologies, expertise in data management and analysis, and the ability to make strategic decisions based on accurate information. In this type of team, creativity is also highly valued when generating solutions, as the more innovative they are, the more the company will stand out from its competitors.
On the other hand, the team leader’s profile is also essential for managing a high-performance team. The ability to lead specific projects and to learn and apply new knowledge quickly and effectively in a constantly evolving work environment has become fundamental to staying at the forefront of any industry. That’s why, in the next section, we’ll take a closer look at what leadership should be like in high-performance teams.
Within this work typology, based on focus and goal orientation, we can distinguish several subgroups, such as:
These are flexible and changing formations that vary their structure according to the most urgent objectives. They focus on solving problems or reinforcing specific areas to handle peaks in workload. Being temporary, they are not bound by usual administrative regulations.
According to the International Telework Organization, the trend toward virtual work has been on the rise since the pandemic. This form of work is most common in technology sectors, where its main strengths are adaptability to remote work and being at the forefront of technological advances.
These teams operate under a vertical structure. Their goals are clearly defined and require strong leadership to function effectively.
These also have a temporary nature, emerging from specific projects. Their behavior is a mix between established teams and informal groups.
They are composed of subject-matter experts, highly qualified and with extensive professional experience. Their role is to advise executives, make decisions based on their expertise, and self-manage their tasks according to the needs they identify.
Leadership in high-performance teams, more than in any other setting, must be inspiring, empathetic, and team-oriented. The leader should have the skills to motivate, align, and guide members toward clear goals, fostering trust and collaboration. It is crucial that the leader promotes an environment where diverse opinions are valued, creativity is encouraged, and both individual and collective achievements are recognized. Additionally, the leader must know how to delegate responsibilities fairly and facilitate efficient decision-making. A leader of high-performance teams acts as a facilitator, empowering the team to unleash its full potential and achieve exceptional results.
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