Building Effective Teams From the Ground Up

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Abstract: Teambuilding is a critical yet challenging aspect of organizational management. Effective teams do not happen by chance; they require deliberate effort to cultivate the right conditions for collaboration, performance, and sustainability over time. This article synthesizes insights from scholarly literature on teams with consulting experience to provide pragmatic, evidence-based recommendations for constructing high-functioning teams. It outlines key steps managers should take to recruit optimal team members, establish strategic clarity around goals and processes, nurture interpersonal bonds and communication, and offer ongoing support through development, resources and appreciation. Specific strategies and best practices are discussed for each element, grounded in research from fields like organizational behavior yet presented accessibly. Real-world industry examples illustrate application across contexts. The article aims to equip practitioners with a solid framework and actionable strategies for building cohesive, results-driven teams capable of delivering sustained impact from the earliest stages.

As consultants and practitioners, we often find ourselves in the enviable yet challenging position of building new teams within organizations. Whether starting from scratch or taking over an existing team in need of revitalization, the process of cultivating a cohesive and productive unit can seem daunting. However, research and experience have revealed several key steps that, when implemented purposefully and consistently, can lay the foundation for truly strong teams that thrive and deliver results.

Today we will synthesize the insights from scholarly literature in the fields of organizational behavior, leadership, and team dynamics with lessons learned from over a decade of consulting and team-building practice. The result is a set of evidence-backed yet pragmatic recommendations for how to build effective teams from the ground up.

Recruit the Right People

No team can succeed without the right members. As Gallup research has shown, teams with engaged employees consistently outperform those where people are just putting in time (Gallup, 2017). Thus, the first priority in building a team is to recruit individuals who are motivated, skilled, and will contribute positively to the group dynamic. When hiring or staffing a new team:

• Carefully consider each person's qualifications, proven abilities, and "fit" with the team's purpose and culture (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993). Look beyond just technical skills to factors like work ethic, communication style, and ability to collaborate.

• Use structured interviews that explore not just competencies but interpersonal traits like empathy, conflict management, and flexibility (Lievens & Chapman, 2016). Behavioral questions about past experiences can reveal these "soft" skills.

• For existing employees, allow for input from their current managers and peers regarding teamwork tendencies, strengths, and growth areas (Sica, 2004). Discerning feedback is invaluable.

• Diverse teams tend to be more innovative and make better decisions, so aim for a mix of skills, perspectives, genders, backgrounds, and personalities on the team (Phillips, 2014). However, promote psychological safety to allow diversity to thrive.

Once the right foundation of individuals is in place, focus on integrating and aligning them as a cohesive unit.

Clarify Purpose, Goals, and Process

Before a team can work well together, members must have a shared understanding of why they exist, what they are trying to achieve, and how they will operate. Spend time up front to:

• Articulate a clear, motivating purpose for the team that members can embrace and rally around (Hackman, 2012). Ensure it is linked to higher organizational goals as well.

• Partner with the team to establish ambitious yet attainable goals that can be measured, such as key result areas, objectives, milestones, and metrics of success (Lencioni, 2002).

• Collaboratively define roles, responsibilities, processes, norms, and protocols the team will follow (Larson & LaFasto, 1989). Discuss and agree upon how decisions will be made, problems solved, work divided and tracked, and communication handled.

• Document everything in a team charter or operating guidelines that serves as a shared reference (West, 2012). Revisit and refine as needed to address evolving needs.

This strategic clarity is crucial for aligning effort and driving focus—it gives the virtual "fuel" teams need to perform at a high level.

Nurture Interpersonal Bonds

It is impossible for a team to gel and perform optimally if members do not connect and trust one another on an interpersonal level. Building cohesion requires:

• Setting aside time for socialization, bonding exercises, and unstructured interaction outside of task demands (Larkey, 1996). Team-building activities foster familiarity and relationship-building.

• Requesting and providing feedback on respective strengths and blind spots in a thoughtful, supportive way (Hansen, 2009). Peer coaching cultivates understanding and creates accountability.

• Celebrating wins and milestones together to mark progress and reinforce the complementary, interdependent nature of the work (Pfeiffer, 1998). Rituals reinforce psychological safety and esprit de corps.

• Facilitating open dialogue on feelings, perspectives, preferred work styles, needs, concerns, and emotions in a safe environment (Goleman, 2006). Showing vulnerability builds trust and empathy among members.

Nurturing strong interpersonal bonds founded on trust, understanding, and care for one another as individuals lays the human infrastructure to power collaboration and weather inevitable challenges.

Effective Communication is Key

Even the best-designed teams will falter without clear, consistent, and inclusive communication. Establish practices that:

• Foster transparency around priorities, happenings, decisions, resource constraints, and challenges through multiple channels (email, meetings, updates) (Miller, 2016). Timely sharing of appropriate information avoids surprises and fosters buy-in.

• Employ active listening skills to ensure shared understanding and welcome diverse perspectives (M. Rackham, 1988). Comprehension and consideration are key.

• surface and address issues, concerns, and conflicts swiftly and constructively before they escalate through direct yet sensitive discussions (Wageman, 2009). Help members voice views and jointly solve problems.

• Leverage technology judiciously to enhance productivity and virtual collaboration when working remotely yet encourage face-to-face time for relationship-building (R. C. Solomon, 2001). Blended approaches work best.

With communication as an integral thread, teams stay informed, aligned, and nimble - better able to work interdependently towards goals.

Provide Support and Development

Finally, a strong team needs sustained leadership and resources to thrive. Managers should:

• Articulate clear expectations yet also offer flexibility, autonomy, and trust within boundaries (Goleman, 2000). Empowerment motivates high performance.

• Coach and mentor regularly on an individual and group level to enhance skills, expand perspectives, shore up weaknesses, and address concerns (McClelland, 1973). Ongoing development prevents plateauing.

• Arrange backup and cross-training so the workload and responsibilities can be seamlessly absorbed if a member is absent (Cohen & Bailey, 1997). Resilience strengthens the collective capability.

• Remove bureaucratic barriers impeding progress through active problem-solving and advocating for additional resources or adjustments as needed (Hackman, 1987). Facilitate conditions for success.

• Publicly recognize and reward individual and team wins to reinforce excellence, showcase contributions, and boost morale (Guzzo & Dickson, 1996). Appreciation is motivating.

With enabling leadership practices, teams unlock their full potential and members feel empowered to constantly grow and deliver results.

Practical Application and Examples

To bring these concepts to life, consider how a marketing department head at a mid-sized technology company might apply them when forming a new social media strategy team from scratch:

• Carefully screen candidates based not just on digital savvy but collaboration skills, thinking their marketing experience will lend diverse perspectives (Recruit the Right People).

• Partner with selected members to draft an inspiring vision, 3-6 month milestone goals, and processes based on marketing plan priorities (Clarity Purpose, Goals, Process).

• Arrange bonding lunches, have members present on interests/styles to break ice, and set norms for giving feedback to build trust (Nurture Interpersonal Bonds).

• Use project management software and stand-up meetings to share updates transparently on goals/resource needs (Effective Communication).

• Rotate facilitation, offer conference opportunities to broaden skills, coach members individually, and recognize top contributors (Provide Support).

Similarly, at a healthcare nonprofit, the director may reconstitute an ineffective patient experience team by: inviting feedback on needed roles, discussing ways to streamline processes, holding socials to connect members personally, and assigning mentors to new hires. With such customized implementations of proven principles, even challenged teams can be transformed.

Leveraging research-backed strategies grounded in both human relationships and workflow mechanics constitutes an evidence-based recipe for cultivating high-performing teams from the ground up across industries. Attention to these foundational elements at the start paves the way for collaboration, cohesion and sustained impact over time.

Conclusion

Building high-performing teams entails much more than assembling a set of individuals—it takes understanding the factors that cultivate psychological safety, foster interdependence and cohesion, and develop capacity over time. By focusing on recruiting the right people, establishing strategic clarity, nurturing interpersonal bonds and communication, and providing ongoing support, managers lay the groundwork for teams positioned for excellence. Though each team will have a unique dynamic, adhering to these evidence-backed principles grounded in research yet tailored to practical realities constitutes a sound starting point. With attention to both task demands and human emotions, needs, and relationships, the most cohesive and capable teams capable of delivering sustained results can be cultivated from the ground up.

References

• Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. (1997). What makes teams work: Group effectiveness research from the shop floor to the executive suite. Journal of management, 23(3), 239-290. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/014920639702300303

• Gallup. (2017, January 9). State of the American workplace. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx

• Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard business review, 78(2), 78-90. https://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results

• Goleman, D. (2006). The socially intelligent leader. Educational Leadership, 64(1), 76-81. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept06/vol64/num01/The-Socially-Intelligent-Leader.aspx

• Guzzo, R. A., & Dickson, M. W. (1996). Teams in organizations: Recent research on performance and effectiveness. Annual review of psychology, 47(1), 307-338. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev.psych.47.1.307

• Hackman, J. R. (1987). The design of work teams. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 315-342). Prentice-Hall.

• Hackman, J. R. (2012). From causes to conditions in group research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(3), 428-444. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1774

• Hansen, M. T. (2009). Collaboration: How leaders avoid the traps, build common ground, and reap big results. Harvard Business Press.

• Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. Harvard Business Press.

• Larkey, L. K. (1996). Toward a theory of communicative interactions in culturally diverse workgroups. Academy of Management Review, 21(2), 463-491. https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amr.1996.9605060217

• Larson, C. E., & LaFasto, F. M. J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Sage.

• Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. Jossey-Bass.

• Lievens, F., & Chapman, D. W. (Eds.). (2016). Selection & evaluation in high-stakes testing: Taking account of multiple perspectives. Routledge.

• McClelland, D. C. (1973). Testing for competence rather than for intelligence. American psychologist, 28(1), 1. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/h0034092

• Miller, C. C. (2016, August 22). How 7 companies foster transparent workplace communication. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/08/how-7-companies-foster-transparent-workplace-communication

• Phillips, K. W. (2014). How diversity makes us smarter. Scientific American, 311(4), 42-47. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

• Pfeiffer, J. W. (Ed.). (1998). The 1998 annual: Developing human resources. Pfeiffer.

• Rackham, M. N. (1988). SPIN selling. McGraw-Hill Education.

• Rackham, N., & Morgan, H. (2001). SPIN® Works! McGraw-Hill.

• Solomon, R. C. (2001). Morality, emotions and choice. Pergamon.

• Sica, G. T. (2004). Team Building. Brunner-Routledge.

• Wageman, R. (2009). How leaders foster successful team performance (SSRN Scholarly Paper ID 1522636). Social Science Research Network. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1522636

• West, M. A. (2012). Effective teamwork: Practical lessons from organizational research. John Wiley & Sons.

Additional Reading

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Optimizing Organizations: Reinvention through People, Adapted Mindsets, and the Dynamics of Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.3

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Reinventing Leadership: People-Centered Strategies for Empowering Organizational Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.4

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Energizing Innovation: Inspiring Peak Performance through Talent, Culture, and Growth. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.6

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Championing Performance: Aligning Organizational and Employee Trust, Purpose, and Well-Being. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.7

• Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Workforce Evolution: Strategies for Adapting to Changing Human Capital Needs. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.8

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Navigating Change: Keys to Organizational Agility, Innovation, and Impact. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.11

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Inspiring Purpose: Leading People and Unlocking Human Capacity in the Workplace. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.12

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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

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Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Building Effective Teams From the Ground Up. Human Capital Leadership Review, 15(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.15.1.10