| What is a High Performance Team? Often | | | | individuals with a shared vision, common goals, and |
| referenced as HPTeams or HPTs, there seems to | | | | desire to work in collaboration with others. |
| be a level of mystery behind them. Do they | | | | Structure and planning are also important, |
| simply happen? Is there a secret to their | | | | however the team is more characterized as being |
| creation? Or is there a specific strategy to help | | | | highly responsive to the demands of the challenge |
| create these HPTeams out of ordinary teams? | | | | at hand. Not even the most careful planning can |
| At the basic level, an HPTeam is a group of | | | | consider all possibilities, and certainly not with any |
| individuals working together in harmony to achieve | | | | efficiency. |
| what others might think of as the impossible. And | | | | This same concept has come to a realization |
| frankly these tasks typically are impossible for the | | | | within the project management world as well with |
| average team. We often hear about sports | | | | a movement away from the more traditional |
| teams and athletes being "in the zone" and that's | | | | project management methods toward more |
| exactly what an HPT experiences. When fully | | | | efficient and Agile methods. Also important to the |
| charged an HPTeam can take on and achieve | | | | maintenance of HPTs is constant feedback from |
| critical tasks quickly, efficiently, and with high | | | | team members, team leaders, and clients or |
| accuracy. However as with anything labeled as | | | | stakeholders. An HPTeam must know what it is |
| "high performance," HPTs have difficulty | | | | doing well in order to do more of that and to |
| maintaining their performance level without | | | | avoid those items that are causing setbacks and |
| downtime, rest, and maintenance between | | | | delays. |
| challenges. And while HPTs need the downtime in | | | | True HPTeams also become self-managed, |
| order to remain effective, this does not | | | | self-correcting, and self-rewarding. Unfortunately |
| necessarily remove the title from the team. | | | | this often leads to a slippery slope of |
| Imagine a well maintained NASCAR race car for | | | | independence and bad judgment. Ideally an |
| example. The car is a high performance car | | | | HPTeam recognizes its leadership and |
| whether on the trailer or on the track. And even | | | | management team as a "check-valve" to ensure |
| while on the track, the engine is not at full throttle | | | | that the team remains in balance. |
| for the duration of the race. The car also needs | | | | There is no secret checklist or rule-book to |
| maintenance throughout the race and even | | | | create High Performance Teams. Like an individual |
| between races. Being high performance takes | | | | person with individual needs, individual HPTs have |
| maintenance and that is where most teams fail to | | | | individual HPT needs. In actuality, HPTs can be |
| make the connection and risk losing their title of | | | | created rather quickly for one-time challenges, but |
| being a High Performance Team. | | | | at the conclusion of the task the team must |
| Managers also fail to understand this and expect | | | | undergo self-analysis to understand why it was |
| that "once an HPT, always an HPT." They too | | | | that they were able to accomplish the seemingly |
| often expect that a weekend retreat or team | | | | impossible. The results of this analysis will then |
| building session is the one-time fix needed to gain | | | | help the team and the team's management |
| the title of an HPTeam. They experience the initial | | | | understand whether their team can be a true |
| success of an HPT, get excited, and expect more | | | | HPT with expectation to perform similarly as new |
| from their team. Three to six months down the | | | | challenges approach or whether the success was |
| road they find their team weaker than when they | | | | a result of temporary motivation rather than a |
| started. Like the NASCAR example, HPTs must | | | | desire to succeed based on sustainable inspiration |
| be maintained and require rest. Without this | | | | and empowerment. |
| realization, newly formed HPTs often end as | | | | If the team finds the latter to be the case |
| one-hit-wonders. | | | | (sustainable inspiration and empowerment), then |
| The concept of HPTs has been around for | | | | an action plan for HPT maintenance should be |
| several decades and many companies have spent | | | | considered in order to increase the likelihood of |
| millions to transform their work teams into HPTs. | | | | future success. If temporary motivation was the |
| Some have succeeded and many more have | | | | leading factor, then the management team must |
| failed. Beyond team building exercises, companies | | | | make a decision whether to risk future success |
| have instituted corporate game rooms complete | | | | based on future temporary motivations or invest |
| with ping pong tables, lounges, fitness rooms, as | | | | in a team building program in order to rely on |
| well as on-site daycare centers and many more | | | | inspiration, sustainable energy, and empowerment |
| amenities aimed at taking care of their company | | | | thereby increasing the chances of future success |
| by taking care of their people. | | | | with minimized risk. |
| At the individual level, HPTeams are comprised of | | | | |