Raising team performance can be extremely challenging. There are many factors which could be the reason for underperformance. Having a model to help analysis what might be going wrong where, will enable the manager to focus their development in the most appropriate areas.

In order for teams to function effectively they must manage how they work together and how they interact with the rest of the organization. As a result of his studies, Richard Beckhard ("Optimising Team Building Efforts", Journal of Contemporary Business, Summer 1972) states that for teams to be effective they must manage four areas internal to the team: goals, roles, processes and relationships. Further research has identified a fifth factor impacting performance: how the team manages its interaction with the organisational environment. Within these factors is a hierarchy with some factors affecting all of the others. These five factors become the focus of attention for the manager who wants to raise team performance, because teams that effectively manage these areas function more effectively than teams that do not.

Environmental Influences - the impact of the organisation and the outside world on team performance.

The organisation sets the context in which the team operates. The policies, procedures and systems within an organisation can either support or hinder a team's effectiveness. An easy example is the impact a business's reward process has on team behaviour. Organisations often reward only individual contribution. Few organizations have found ways to reward teams.

Signs to look for: The team is physically distant or not given the resources to complete the job or individuals are not recognised for their contribution to the team.

Goals - what the team is to accomplish

A team exists when members have responsibility for accomplishing a common goal. An effective team is aware of and manages:

1. The extent to which goals are clear, understood and communicated to all members 2. The amount of ownership of team goals 3. The extent to which goals are defined, quantified and deliverable 4. The extent to which goals are shared or congruent 5. The extent of goal conflict or divergence

Signs to look for: The goals are unclear or not communicated, everyone is doing their own thing and not participating in goal setting.

Roles - who does what on the team

Do all members understand what they and others are to do to accomplish the task? Do they know their individual responsibilities and limits of authority? In new teams time should be spent discussing and defining roles and responsibilities. As the team develops it is typical for individuals to build expectations and assumptions of others which are seldom recorded anywhere. These should be discussed and agreed upon.

Conflict may occur as a result of differing expectations among team members. Overlapping roles can create conflict, especially when two or more team members see themselves as responsible for the same task.

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