10.1
HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS:
ORGANIZING TO ACHIEVE RESULTS
Inspired by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith.Leaders are forever asking the question, “What’s the best way to organize people to achieve
business results?” Terms such as teamwork, team, and workgroup can be misleading, as they
are often used in imprecise ways. This tool will clarify the different ways of organizing to opti-
mize people’s effort and contribution.
Four levels of organizing, each requiring successively greater interdependence and higher
levels of teamwork, are defined and described:
Individual work ➠Workgroup ➠Team ➠High-performing team
Even an individual working alone within an organization needs to relate and coordinate
with others, however minimally. High-performing teams are based upon deeply shared values,
goals, relationships, and processes; team members are highly involved with other team mem-
bers. Workgroups, somewhere between individual work and high-performing teams, are some-
times preferred over team structures, as they require less interaction and coordination, and
allow for individual accountability. A leader needs to weigh a number of factors in order to
determine the best way to organize people to maximize business results, including the nature
of the work; the need for joint accountability; and the time available for coordination, meet-
ings, and information-sharing.
298 SECTION 10 TOOLS FORLEADINGTEAMS ANDGROUPS
How work gets done: When it is best to use:Individual WorkWorkgroupTeam- The individual works alone, can do the
whole job, needs little close support, and is
solely accountable for producing a product or
providing a service. - Workgroups achieve shared goals by pooling
individual work skills and knowledge to pro-
duce products and services. - Members consult with each other and then a
workgroup leader makes the final decision,
although some decisions may be made
together. - Work is delegated to individuals who are
solely accountable for that piece of work. - A workgroup does not need a separate identity.
- Teams are distinguished by interdependence.
They achieve common goals by discussing,
deciding, and doing work together. - A team has a vision of the team itself (e.g.,
working approach, team development).
✔Individual work is the best option when
there are few shared goals with others, and
very little synergy would be gained from
other people’s input and perspectives.
✔Workgroups are the best option when knowl-
edge and skills need to be shared in order to
get results, but the need for innovation or
coordination is low.
✔Workgroups are easier to form and disband
than teams.✔Teams are the best option when there is a
need for coordination or innovation, and
success or failure is not attributable to the
sum of each individual’s efforts, but rather to
the aligned efforts of the team.