It was 2012 and I was part of a large organization that was embarking on a turnaround focused on building a high-performance organisation (HP). Like most companies post the global financial crisis the company needed to create and implement a winning strategy to not only survive but thrive.
We facilitated focus groups as part of the research methodology to establish current engagement levels. We asked the group targeted questions and 1 of the questions were:
Do you like your job?
In one particular group, I met Leon, (not his real name) a regional manager who was a participant. More than 70% of the participants in the group responded “No” to the question. Leon enthusiastically answered, “I love my job”. He did not say like, he said “love.”
I asked Leon why he loved his job. He said two (2) things.
- I know what I need to do, and I know how important my work is in adding value to the performance of our region
- My manager is always available, helping us solve problems and coaching us to do new things he listens.
I met Leon one year later in another focus group as part of a three-year program. This time Leon said “no” to the same question. When I asked Leon why?
When we compared Leon’s and the region’s performance last year versus this year, we found that the region which was high-performing at that time was now a poor-performing business. Leon’s performance also shifted to a below-average performer.
After data analysis and correlation studies, our findings indicated two (2) things:
- Engaged employees optimize their performance and contribute to high-performance teams.
- “Leaders create an environment that creates high-performance teams that create business success”
These findings are affirmed by many other academics and research studies. Gallup Global Survey (2023) indicates that engaged employees contribute:
He said “We had a lot of changes in the last year. We have a new manager. I feel confused and overworked and don’t know what I am doing. My manager is always stressed and unhappy with the work we do.”
A story of a high-performance organization on a turnaround.
ABSA won the best company to work for in 2023 in a LinkedIn survey. The survey looks at how employees experience their organization, and how they feel about HR practices and processes. (https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/702363/the-25-best-companies-to-work-for-in-south-africa/)
The reputational sentiment measures how customers feel about the company. ABSA had the highest rating with 27.7%. (https://www.pwc.co.za/en/publications/major-banks-analysis.html)
Looking at how banks performed in South Africa in 2023, Absa was rated first for “Growth” and first for “Operational efficiencies.” (https://businesstech.co.za/news/banking/701565/the-biggest-banks-in-south-africa-in-2023/)
This case study indicates a correlation between the positive sentiment of how employees feel about the organization, with high customer sentiment, and high financial performance.
The World has Changed
The dynamic nature of change, artificial intelligence, and shifts in the way we live and do business has accelerated the move out of the “service and employee experience economy” into what is now termed a “Boundary-less Economy” – a highly disruptive and dynamic environment requiring new skills, and new ways of work. The economic, social, political, and technological challenges mean that leaders and employees alike are battling to cope with the change, experiencing overwhelm, exhaustion, and emotional pressures, with Gallup and PWC studies indicating that two-thirds of employees are feeling burnt out at some point or the other.
(Gallup global survey 2023)
The global survey indicates that 77% of employees are disengaged with only 23% of employees engaged. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy US$8.8 trillion and accounts for 9% of global GDP.
With low engagement levels and the change into a boundary-less organisation there is clear evidence that “employee performance optimisation” on its own is not enough.
Studies and the new way of work have shown that
“Structured and high-performance teams create business success”
As leaders and businesses, we need the answer to the question
“How do leaders and businesses create High-Performance teams to create high-performance businesses?”
To answer the question I will use Google’s “Project Aristotle” case study
Google’s “Project Aristotle”
In 2012 after the global financial crisis, Google like most companies embarked on its program of growth and transformation. The objective of” Project Aristotle” was to create high-performance teams. In normal Google style, they were ahead of the time and understood that “employee optimization alone was not enough. Using data, research studies, and algorithms, they implemented the research project to understand what factors created these high-performance teams. During their research, they accessed research and studies from the last decade by various socialists and psychologists. What they found is that the “who did not matter”. There were no “patterns found in Personality types, backgrounds, education, and experience impacting high-performance teams.
After four years of research and analysis of data they found the following:
Psychological safety was the most important lever and the number one (1) contributor to a high-performance team. Edmonson, (1999) describes it as a “team member’s sense of confidence that the team will not feel embarrassed, reject or punish someone for speaking up”. The team members had turns to talk which they termed “conversation turn-taking” and had high “social acuity” in detecting how people were feeling.
In addition, members felt that they could depend on each other, they had structure and clarity in their roles and outcomes expected. As importantly they had meaning in their work and understood the impact and value their work contributed to the greater goals.
The building blocks to building a high-performance team
How do you take the levers from “Project Aristotle” and build a high -performance team?
1.Re-imagine Leadership
(https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-transformational-leadership.html)
Changing leadership behavior is the key building block to building a high-performance team
“Transformational leadership” in my mind integrates all the critical behaviours that are needed to build great teams and business success.
Leaders through “inspirational motivation” need to focus on adopting and sharing a clear vision and communicate the winning aspiration ensuring that employees know where the business is going, what their role is, and how it will get there.
“Intellectual stimulation“ allows creativity and innovation in achieving and working towards goals that are specific, measurable, and clear.
“Individualized consideration” is creating a system of conversations for mentoring, feedback, and engaging hearts and minds. “Authentic leadership” moves a leader to a space of “Idealized influence” – the ability to be honest, authentic, and living the values to create trust to create belief.
2.Communication and Conversations
A system of communication, engagement, and conversations sets an organization up for success. “Communication is leadership” and through this instrument, employees feel included, are given feedback, and experience “psychology safety”. These conversations and communication channels must be set up and implemented.
3.Environment
This refers to visible and intangibles in the organisation and creates a great place to work. Leaders need to integrate systems, processes, and mechanisms that make teams want to be there. They can laugh, have fun, and work hard. They know what’s happening, why it’s happening, and when it’s happening. They have a plan. Conversations, data, systems, processes, and management reports create a beautifully oiled machine, making it a great place to work.
How do you make this real and part of Leadership and Organisational Life?
5 key actions that will help you create install transformational leadership and build high-performance teams.
1.Strategy on a page
Know your winning aspiration, which markets you will play in, how you will win, and the capability and systems you need to win. Share this with your teams, so that they know the “why” and how they contribute to the business success. The meaning and impact are created with a clear journey map.
2.Goals
“What gets measured gets done”. The how to “win” in the marketplace ensures you wire in targets and measurements to know how you are doing and what you need to do. This creates structure and clarity for teams, creating trust and commitment.
3.Conversations
A series of conversations structured into groups and teams takes your employees with you. There are 5 type of conversations that engages the teams. Goal, feedback, performance, coaching and mentoring, and career conversations. The teams always know where they fit in and how they are doing.
4.Self-transformation
All the change cannot be achieved without a change in behaviour by leaders. Leaders’ behaviour can only change through practice installing habits and discipline. It’s the practice that stores the learning in the “long-term memory.”
(Robin Sharma, 5am Club)
Re-imagining leadership takes getting rid of old habits and installing new behaviours through discipline and habits. The structured approach guarantees change. Like going on a diet needs a plan, discipline, and persistence so does changing leadership behaviours. Use the habit installation protocol, practice consistently and you will change your leadership behaviour.
5.Management systems
Management reports and systems wire in and tie it all together. It serves as the compass and indicator of performance.
Closing
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford”
We know that great leadership builds great teams. We know what the levers are, we know what the building blocks are. Finally, we learned what will make this real in your world. Imagine this – your entire team is on a boat and half is rowing in one direction and the other half in another direction. Will success be achieved?
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