High performance teams

Developed by Bence Richter

Introduction

According to the widely accepted definition, High-Performance Teams (HPTs) are a concept in organizational behavior and management that refers to a team of individuals who work together to achieve a common goal. It provides a framework for teams to enable high levels of performance and reach their goals more effectively. The concept is described by several key components, which include shared goals, well-defined roles and responsibilities, strong communication, trust, well-executed decision-making, adaptability, and continuous improvement. When implemented effectively, it can lead to increased productivity, team morale, and improved quality. Given the nature of this concept, it is used in many areas of the professional world including healthcare, sports, IT, the automotive and retail industries R&D just to highlight a few. It can be applied to almost any kind of team, meaning it can be applied specifically to project teams as well. Nowadays, numerous companies, like Volvo and Boeing, are successfully using the High-Performing Teams concept within their project teams. This article focuses on

Concept background

A short part about the historical background of the HPTs and Bruce W. Tuckman's Stages of Group Development which is the commonly used framework when talking about a team's stages of development and as such plays an important role in the evolution of high-performing project teams as well.