It is well documented throughout the sports world how important teamwork is to success and how detrimental a lack of it can be. Look no further, the World Series champion Boston Red Sox is an example of the former; the synergy displayed by this team overcame the lack of talent and left them in the hands of the great trophy. As for the latter, consider what’s happening to the Miami Dolphins, where an apparent bullying culture over the top led to one player leaving, another player being suspended, and the fallout that likely played a role in the team’s loss in Monday Night Football. an opponent who was 0-8 going into the game.
What can business leaders learn from this? Quite a lot, starting from the importance of creating synergy, the interaction of multiple elements to produce an effect that is different or greater than the sum of the efforts of individuals. As a leader, even if you consider yourself a superlative problem solver (the best in your organization), you’ll likely be outperformed by a collaborative team.
IN Harvard Business Review Management Update points out two key implications for leaders regarding creating synergy when it comes to solving problems:
- You must collaborate with your team to find solutions or you will lose the benefit of the diversity of knowledge and perspectives that result from group interactions.
- By not involving your team, you inadvertently encourage passivity in your team members.
Thinking about teamwork in a more general sense, how you build your team and nurture member growth are two other things that will lead to synergy…or not. You need to choose the right people, use their strengths to the fullest, and create an environment that encourages their development.
Consider the following five “people” factors, which I have found set great teams apart:
- Trusted team members need to know that they can count on each other to get the job done right, and if challenges arise, they will support each other.
- Respect: Team members must have respect for themselves, as well as mutual respect for the abilities of other team members.
- Communication team members must have both the skills and the format to communicate openly and honestly with each other.
- Passion: Each team member must be motivated to achieve the mutual goals of the team.
- Commitment: All team members must have the same values, values that dictate doing whatever it takes to complete projects at the highest level of execution.
Regarding organizational structure, researchers and practitioners have identified six factors that lead to a great team workplace:
- A clear set of goals
- Metrics that allow team members to access their performance
- training in progress
- Decision-making authority to achieve objectives.
- Team-based rewards and evaluations
- An open culture that encourages communication and different perspectives.
A good question to ask yourself is how you want your team to be reflected in the eyes of others. It seems likely that you want to emulate the Red Sox’s game-changing example of synergy rather than deal with the issues that seem to be ruining the Dolphins’ season.