Sunday, July 8, 2012

A521.6.3.RB - High Performance Teams


High performance teams possess characteristics and traits that all organizations need and want. High performance teams exceed expectations, develop personally and professionally, possess passion and strength, and adjust rapidly to different situations.

I have had the opportunity to work on high performance teams within my organization. One of the teams was very diverse, comprised of individuals from different personal and professional backgrounds. We started out somewhat reserved and introverted, but as the team developed and succeeded in projects tasks, we opened up and became more comfortable with the team and with our strengths and weaknesses. We helped each other find and improve on our weaknesses, and utilized the strengths of one another to exceed the expectations of each assignment.

It was very helpful that each one of us shared values that were consistent with the organization. We believed in working very hard, communicating freely and sharing ideas, and having fun while doing it. I don’t think the team would have done as well without sharing these values. It helped us form personal connections with one another and made it easier to define goals and roles of each team member for each assignment.

One negative experience I’ve had with a work group was during a meeting. My partner and I were told by the manager of the group that we needed to assemble a presentation for the managers meeting that was being conducted a few weeks later. I thought I was going to assemble the presentation, and he was going to present it. When it came time, he ended up passing the torch to me and I had to present it, even though I was not ready for it. It made me uncomfortable and I felt that the trust between us was compromised. A positive experience I’ve had with a team was when one of my teams had a disagreement about how our business was going to be run. Because of our relationships and respect for one another’s expertise in the business, we managed to come to a quick decision that benefited the organization and team members. 

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