Mastering Team Dynamics: Five Essential Tenets

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”  — Henry Ford

Team dynamics can make or break an organization. 

Take the case of Pixar Animation Studios, producer of highly successful films such as Toy Story, Nemo, and others. Many articles have been written about why Pixar has been successful. The 2023 article Pixar Studios: Unveiling the Success Story and Success Factors calls out the reasons for its excellence in storytelling, adding how the elements of team dynamics—cross-functional collaboration, embracing failures, and a culture of sharing and supporting—have all been vital in its rise to fame.

The spectacular breakup of The Beatles, my idols who famously sang “We Can Work It Out,” illustrates a failure that typifies how bad team dynamics can lead to team failure. Even as they were falling apart, The Beatles had some phenomenal music success in spite of it, but typically, when team members have conflict with one another, the result is disastrous for the group.

High-performing teams find the right balance between order and flexibility, stability and change, or predictability and innovation.

Here are six ways to achieve team success.

1. Mutual Trust
   “A team is not a group of people who work together. It is a group of people who trust each other.”  — Simon Sinek

   Trust is fundamental to any relationship, including the relationship between team members and the team leader. When team members trust each other, they are open in their communication and not afraid to share their views. Trust inspires team members to have confidence, respect, and loyalty between each other and the leader. Collaboration between team members is high when there is trust. As I mentioned in my article Trust: The Magic That Transforms Vision into Reality, you build trust with honesty, clear communication, demonstrable competency, and consistency.

2. Accountability
   “On good teams coaches hold players accountable, on great teams, players hold players accountable.”  — Joe Dumars

   Joe Dumars’s quote says it all. Outstanding teams have members who hold each other accountable for each one’s role in the team. Good team leaders have the responsibility for the team’s performance and naturally hold the team accountable for performance. The team that kicks it up by ensuring accountability across team members is inspirational. They demand high performance from each other, and each team member feels committed to what they sign up to do.
   Leaders can foster team accountability by holding themselves accountable and being role models. Team members who see their leaders meeting their commitments are compelled to do the same.

3. Communication
   “How well we communicate is not determined by how well we say things but how well we are understood.” ― Andrew Grove, CEO of Intel Corporation

   When team members understand each other, they create an environment free of unwanted friction. There is no energy wasted in going back and forth on something that doesn’t require iterations, and there is no miscommunication that can lead to errors, conflicts, and disasters.

   There are numerous examples of how miscommunication could result in disastrous outcomes. One such example is the story in The Seattle Times of a little girl who was left brain-damaged when a miscommunication resulted in the use of a cold medicine that she was not supposed to be given. In reporting the news of a $15.2 million medical malpractice judgment against the University of Washington, the article said, “For patient-safety experts, the award underscores the need to move more swiftly toward models of communication like those developed in the aviation industry, which long ago learned that miscues can cost lives.”

   When new ideas are introduced, it is all the more necessary to express them clearly so that everyone on the team can absorb them. The team must be confident enough to ask questions without fear of being perceived as ignorant.  A team with high psychological safety allows every team member to express themselves without fearing repercussions. In such a team, listening is as highly valued as speaking, and team members believe everyone has worthwhile contributions.

4. Goals and Expectations
   “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”  ― Tony Robbins

   Teamwork requires that the team members are aligned on the team’s goal. Setting goals and communicating them helps everyone understand what to achieve. Every member must clearly understand their roles and responsibilities in reaching this goal. In addition, there should be clarity on performance expectations. For example, in software development, if one of the members has to code a specific module in creating a system (the goal), there must be expectations on the completion of this module concerning time and quality.

   Invariably, goals change, and team members leave or get added. It is, therefore, imperative that there is constant communication from the leader to the team members and among the team members. No team is immune from making mistakes. When that happens, outstanding teams acknowledge the mistake, learn from it, and course-correct.

5. Continuous Improvement
   “No matter how good you get you can always get better, and that’s the exciting part.” ― Tiger Woods
   The Japanese concept of Kaizen means continuously improving all business activities, and it is applied to all involved without exception. The benefits of Kaizen have been well-documented in the literature, including collaboration due to high levels of trust, individual well-being, higher self-worth and ownership, and increased safety, quality, and efficiency.

   Kaizen can enormously benefit team dynamics by fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Every member should be empowered to suggest ways, small or big, for the team to perform better and drive its functioning to loftier heights. Kaizen thrives in psychologically safe work environments.

Keys to Successful Teamwork 

The dynamics of a team are fundamental to its success. Conflicts within a team waste energy and reduce its effectiveness. Fostering mutual trust, meaningful and transparent communication, accountability, well-defined goals and expectations, and a mentality of continuous improvement can reduce conflicts and elevate a team to a high-achieving one. And remember to have fun!

Written by Shantha Mohan Ph.D.

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