Determinants of Team Performance

It is necessary to examine the collective processes that determine team performance. Leaders can improve team performance by influencing these processes in a positive way. The follower are key performance determinants for team to be effective:

Commitment to shared objectives:

Group performance will be higher when its members are highly motivated to attain shared objectives. Task commitment is higher when the team considers the objectives worthwhile and the strategy for attaining them appropriate.

A shared understanding about what needs to be done and why it is important increases member commitment to carry out the strategy. A shared understanding by team members about the nature and cause of a problem and likely solutions.

Member skills and role clarity:

Team performance will be higher when members have the knowledge and skills necessary to do the work and they understand what to do, how to do it, and when it must be done. Member skills and clear role expectations are more important when the task is complex and difficult to learn.

At appropriate times in the performance cycle, leaders can assess the skills of current members to identify training needs, provide constructive feedback and coaching, and arrange for members to receive necessary instruction in other ways.

Internal organization and coordination:

The performance of a team depends not only on the motivation and skills of members, but also on how members are organized to use their skills. The design of work roles and the assignment of people to them determine how efficiently the team carries out its work. Team performance also depends on the extent to which the interdependent activities of different members are mutually consistent and synchronized.

A high level of coordination is especially important when the team performs a complex task under rapidly changing conditions. Coordination is determined by decisions made during the planning phase prior to the start of a new task, and by adjustments made during the team’s performance of the task.

External coordination:

The performance of a team also depends upon adjusting their activities to be consistent with the activities of interdependent units or outside the organization, and the needs of clients who must be accommodated.

External coordination requires timely and accurate information about client needs and outside events that affect the work of the team. the ability of a team to identify an effective strategy for dealing with external environment depends in part on member agreement about the implications of external events and the requirements for effectively responding to them.

Resources and political support:

Team performance also depends on getting information, resources, and political support needed to do the work. Relevant resources may include budgetary funds, tools and equipments, supplies and materials, and facilities.

Mutual trust and cooperation:

Even a talented, well-organized team may fail in carrying out its mission unless there is a high level of cooperativeness and mutual trust among the members.

Cooperation is especially important when the mission requires members to share information and resources, help each other, and work together in close proximity for long periods of time under stressful conditions.

Lack of trust and cohesiveness is more likely to be a problem in newly formed teams, in teams with frequent changes in membership, in teams with members who are culturally diverse, and in teams with emotionally immature members.

Collective efficiency and potency:

Member commitment depends in part on the shared belief of members that the teal is capable of successfully carrying out its mission and achieving specific task objectives. This shared belief is called collective efficacy or potency.

A highly confident team is also likely to have a more positive mood. Collective efficacy is likely to be higher for a team with strong member skills, a high level of mutual trust and cooperation, ample resources, and a relevant performance strategy.

Prior success can increase collective efficacy, which in turn can enhance a team’s subsequent performance. A download spiral can also occur for a team, with failure resulting in lower collective efficacy, negative affect, and declining performance.

Support

Contact

Join Our Newsletter Community for Regular Inspiration

© 2023 Gowth Cataylst India. All Rights Reserved.