There is something that is constantly
sought and highly coveted in countless and varied organizational settings that
it could be considered the universal organizational quest. Sports are a huge
example of mixing talent and chemistry and seeing if it cooks up to meet the
desired expectations. Some examples are Olympic teams, pit crews; a dream team
of basketball players, even a dream team of attorneys once upon a time. Oh, and
the Yankees are notorious for trying to pay huge sums of money to try to create
this. So what is the crown jewel of all organizational masterpieces? Well, it
is the high-performance team, of course. What is better than one giant
superstar? The answer is a team of talented, collaborating individuals that together
all become superstars. A high-performance team could be described as a group of
people growing and working together in a way that cannot be calculated but is
effective in such an overwhelming way. Just ask the Beatles, or at least Ringo
and Paul.
So the question is what elements
are involved with putting together a high-performance team and how do you make
one? Most importantly, you cannot force it. There needs to be supportive
elements in place like a vision of a clear goal, supportive leadership, an
appropriate blend of the members and resources. Beyond those conditions there
is no way to design a blueprint to follow. Calculating how to create a
high-performance team falls flat. Blueprints and calculations are not alive.
Those who have been a part of a high-performance team see it as an experience
that is meaningful that will be carried with them even after the years pass and
the landscape of their personal and professional lives have changed, well after
the team is no longer together. In a way it is like the three musketeers, all
for one and one for all, everyone is in it together. The team members grow
individually but together the tasks they carry out are more powerful and
effective. If one fails, they all do. Passion is another building block that
makes all the elements fuse together. The team grows strong together as they
learn each other’s strengths and are able to quickly change the course of a
situation with short notice. High-performance teams are truly a force to be
reckoned with.
Accompanying all of the above,
values cannot be overlooked. It is important when a team works together that
they share values. If this is misaligned the balance can be thrown off. If
there is a difference in the deeply held beliefs this can cause a rift. Having
shared values allows for working together toward the common goal. If time permits,
the underlying values can be examined, discovered and generated. Aligned values
give way to an ease in collaborative efforts.
It took a considerable amount of
time for me to find an organization that chose me to be part of their team and
fits within the description of a high-performance team. This has been quite
recent for me and already our progress together makes it seem like it would be
much longer than eight months together. Some members have been a part of the
group for longer, but have made comments there has not always been this level
of cohesion. The more we talk about ourselves personally, the more I realize
how similar we are on a basic level. We do share the same values. There have
been times where I felt I was strange or even so unique that no one out there
is like me, but together it is like I found “my people” because of our similarities.
Instead of asking questions and then settling for not knowing, we go a step
further and seek the answer. It matters to each of us how well we perform our
job and how we make others feel. For me this has been tremendously positive
because I felt like this may not be possible to obtain in reality and I felt
lost thinking I was looking for a unicorn, something that did not exist.
While I would say recently I am
part of my first high-performance team, there are other types of working
together that exist which can be presented as four patterns. This may be
accomplished through a team, a work group, a community or a network. I have been
part of each of the patterns and respectively they are my academic advising
team, a webpage design committee with my current organization, the local Little
Theatre community and the Southeast Chamber of Commerce. While each of those was
part of important moments in my life I feel there are both positive and
negative aspects that can be pointed out. For example, while I met a lot of
wonderful people when I spent time with the Chamber, I felt there were ulterior
motives with those involved. The promotion of businesses and supporting the
local community are wonderful and important for our small town’s survival. However,
it seemed as if you were not in the market for that service the relationship
became closed off quickly. Something that I feel that is amazing about being a
part of the Little Theatre is the community aspect. Those involved are there
for no other reason other than they genuinely want to be a part of it. Some are
taking their firsts steps into getting involved and others are lifelong
enthusiasts. Once you work with someone it opens up so many opportunities at
other theatres you may not have necessarily ventured out toward. But if someone
thinks of you and you are a fit for a role that is available, pulling someone
in that another person knows is always supported. Once you are part of the
community you always are regardless of how often you are involved in
productions. Interestingly enough I have never acted outside of high school, I
always dance or choreograph, but that does not make me any less of a part of
the community.
Though I may never be part of
something as big as being a Beatle or part of the Magnificent Seven 1996 US
Olympic Gymnastics team, there is always potential of reaching new heights if
you are fortunate enough to find your way into a place that makes you feel like
you belong and can blossom as a high-performance team.If you are part of a high-performance team anything is possible.
Reference: Denning, S., (2011). The
leader’s guide to storytelling; Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative.
San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
No comments:
Post a Comment