Building High-Performing Teams

What does all this mean to managers in today's work environment with high demands on efficiency, speed, and quality? The increasing technical complexities, cross-functional dependencies, and the need for innovative performance prompt enormous managerial challenges for directing, coordinating, and controlling teamwork. Especially with the expansion of self-directed team concepts, additional managerial tools and skills are required to handle the burgeoning dynamics and infrastructure. Effective teamwork is a critical determinant of project success and the organization's ability to learn from its experiences and position itself for future growth (Senge 1990). To be effective in organizing and directing a project team, the leader must not only recognize the potential drivers and barriers to high-performance teamwork, but also know when in the life cycle of the project they are most likely to occur. The effective project leader takes preventive actions early in the project life cycle and fosters a work environment that is conducive to team building as an ongoing process. The new business realities force managers to focus also on cross-boundary relations, delegation, and commitment, in addition to establishing the more traditional formal command and control systems.

The effective team leader is usually a social architect who understands the interaction of organizational and behavioral variables and can foster a climate of active participation and minimal dysfunctional conflict. This requires carefully developed skills in leadership, administration, organization, and technical expertise. It further requires the project leader's ability to involve top management to ensure organizational visibility, resource availability, and overall support for the new project throughout its life cycle. Moreover, project leaders and their management must understand the interaction of organizational and behavioral variables, so they can facilitate a climate of active participation, minimal dysfunctional conflict, and effective communication. They must also foster an ambiance conducive to change, commitment, and self-direction. Four major conditions must be present for building effective project teams: 1) professionally stimulating work environment, 2) good project leadership, 3) qualified personnel, and 4) stable work environment. Building effective project teams involves the whole spectrum of management skills and company resources, and is the shared responsibility between functional managers and the project leader. By understanding the criteria and organizational dynamics that drive people toward effective team performance, managers can examine and fine-tune their leadership style, actions, and resource allocations toward continuous organizational improvement.