Nine uncommon keys for building highly capable teams
Image courtesy of Andrew Moca on Unsplash
Anyone can assemble a group of people, but it takes a unique set of skills to build a capable team. Even amongst those who possess the talents to build capable teams, not all are able to go that step further and develop those are highly capable. Through this blog, you will see that team building, like so much organizational and business practice, is a careful blend of art and science. As art, it requires the craft and imagination to navigate the contours and edges of the moment. As a science, it is the extent to which the application of core principles can produce repeatable results.
At their best, teams are highly advanced, self-sustaining entities. But not all teams are the same. I am sure you might have read somewhere that a team is the sum of its parts. Whilst that may indeed be the conventional wisdom for ‘a team’, it is not the case for a ‘highly capable team’. Think of the difference between a jigsaw puzzle and a water colour painting. With a jigsaw puzzle, once assembled, you can still clearly see the component parts that created it. By contrast, the multiple brush strokes of a water colour painting, blend into a seamless image. So much so that you cannot see the end from the beginning. That is the unique distinction; one is the sum of its parts, whilst the other is single seamless entity.
When highly capable teams are formed, they transform their operational space as well as the space occupied by others. So, how are they developed? Set out below are the nine uncommon keys for building highly capable teams.
1. Foundation, floor, ceiling and walls
Every team is like a house with a foundation, floor, ceiling, and walls. Think about it like this: floors do not exist without foundations; walls cannot be built without floors and a ceiling cannot be constructed without walls. Highly capable teams are designed and built with their internal components, fabric and design in mind. In practical terms this includes the core values to which all adhere, the boundaries that guide group behaviour and the headroom capacity for growth and development. Critically therefore, building highly capable teams requires a fundamental understanding of their structure and architecture. The more solid the structure and the more thoughtful the design, the more capable the team.
2. Find the binding agent
A binding agent is more than a glue. It doesn’t just hold things together. At its most effective, it has a transformative quality about it; in so far as it can create something distinctly different and entirely new. Think about the process of bread making. We all know that on its own, flour does not make bread. To begin the process of bread-making, a binding agent (water) is mixed with flour to produce dough. Hold that thought for a moment and you will understand the power of the binding agent in the context of building a highly capable team. Not only does the binding agent totally transform the team, but it also creates a new and unique entity. Again, at the risk of over-stating the point, a highly capable team is not the sum of its parts, but rather a distinct entity.
3. Survivor instincts and first responder mentality
A survivor instinctively thinks of themselves, but a first responder instinctively thinks about others. In highly capable teams the survivor instinct exists within the context of a first responder mentality. Another way to describe it is to say that highly capable teams survive to respond. Above all else, it is this ‘survive to respond’ culture speaks to the energy that drives and motivates highly capable teams. Individuals do not work within the group; they work for the group. They set aside their personal ambitions for the greater good and by so doing, ensure that the team can utilise its resources in a fluid and flexible manner.
4. Know the ‘best team’ from the ‘right team’
No, the ‘best team’ is not necessarily the ‘right team’. Look at examples from the world of sport, where those who may be supremely talented are overcome by those with lesser skills. If the best talents always produced the right results, surely such reverses in fortune would not be possible? The reason why such things are possible is because, in the heat of competition, success is ultimately contingent on doing what you know to be right, not what you think to be best. Teams are highly complex entities that require a precise blend of aptitude, attitude and ability. To that extent, what might appear to be the best team on paper, might turn out to be the wrong team in practice. Highly capable teams flex to reflect the uniqueness and specifics of each situation presented.
5. Central point of gravity
The central point of gravity is where weight is evenly distributed and all sides are in balance. When you stand on one leg it is principle that stops you from toppling over. For most teams (those of conventional design) the central point of gravity does not change. This is because traditional teams have a clearly defined power structure and hierarchy. With highly capable teams, the central point of gravity changes as the team is placed under different stresses and required to quickly adapt to new realities. If you want to know what the central point of gravity is in a team, observe where people look in times of crisis. Do they look to hierarchical power as in traditional structures or do they look to each other as in highly capable teams?
6. From the front and at the front
In highly capable teams’ leadership is a legitimate expectation of all. As such everyone should lead, either ‘at the front’ or ‘from the front’. Let me explain further; leading ‘at the front’ emphasises the critical importance of each role in the team on the effective functioning of the team. It recognises the value and unique contribution to be made by every individual. However, at different times or in different situations, there will be a specific demand or expectation for some to lead ‘from the front’. As a case in point, think of a special forces’ unit undertaking a reconnaissance mission in a theatre of war. In highly capable teams this concept of ‘at the front’ or ‘from the front’ is a well-established norm and deeply embedded organising principle.
7. Projection of power dynamic
It is impossible to describe the uncommon keys for building highly capable teams without also referring to ‘power’. But here is the thing, in highly capable teams’ ‘power’ is not something that is bestowed on an individual or individuals to effect change and deliver outcomes. Rather, it develops organically as a social construct built on the strength of relationships and in particular, the social currencies of integrity, credibility, confidence and trust. To make it most impactful, social power is not just projected inwards; it is also projected outwards. As such, because of their orientations towards social power, highly capable teams are equipped to operate influentially, well beyond the scope and reach of any hierarchical power structure.
8. Internal rotation
The idea of internal rotation addresses the issue of ‘redundancy’. A high effective team has redundancy built in as a fail-safe to ensure that the seamless transition from one person to another. However, there is more to this than the need to avoid key person dependency or maintain minimum standards in the absence of an acknowledged expert. In the context of highly effective teams, internal rotation is about ensuring that exceptionally high standards are maintained, irrespective of changes in circumstance. As such, customers should not be able to discern any difference in terms of product quality or user experience. To ensure effective internal rotation, team building requires not just mainstreaming of skills, but an intentional approach to cross-fertilisation.
9. Immune system
A highly capable team has an active ‘immune system’ to protect itself from the harm that might be created from within or without. One such ‘harm’ to which highly capable teams must protect themselves, is the excess of personality. The point here is that whilst the nuance of personality is encouraged to flourish, its excess which can manifest across the spectrum from ego to eccentricity, is actively kept in check. The active ‘immune system’ of a highly capable team, is instinctively aware of and quick to identify, volatile personality components that will undermine the integrity and overall health of the group. The impulse of the ‘immune system’ therefore is not an act of wanton suppression, but rather a mechanism to maintain balance.
So, here’s the rub; capability is important because it is a measure of potential, competence and readiness. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the first order of business of every team builder is not to develop an effective team, but rather one that is able to respond to the range of challenges and opportunities that are presented before it. After all, you cannot prove that your team is effective until you can demonstrate that it is capable. In the broader context of stance and posture, the more capable a team, the more effective it is likely to be.
