Many teams consider themselves a team simply because of their placement on an organization chart but that isn’t what makes a team. Management thinker and author, David Clutterbuck, provides one of the best definitions of a team which is that “a team becomes a team when everyone shares responsibility for each others’ performance, well-being and learning.” 

Clutterbuck’s definition offers us a lot more to consider than one’s typical definition of a team.

Of course, teams exist for a purpose and to achieve certain goals however what is often overlooked is how well team members work together while pursuing those goals. This definition accounts for the importance of being connected and when teams are high performing, that connectedness exists. They look out for each other and help each other get better. In short, they have each others’ backs.

When you consider the teams that you lead, or are a part of, what do you observe? Do these teams assume responsibility for each other’s performance, well-being, and learning? How do you know?

When observing a team, we can turn to another prolific management thinker, Patrick Lencioni, and the model he created – The 5 Behaviors of Cohesive Teams©.

When assessing whether a team takes responsibility for each other’s performance, learning and well-being, these 5 behaviors can help us see if that is happening.  Teams that demonstrate these 5 Behaviors share responsibility for each other’s performance, well-being, and learning.

Trust – this is a foundational behavior. High-performing teams trust each other. This trust enables them to admit a mistake and apologize, ask for help, or be honest when they don’t know an answer. Such seemingly small, yet powerful, daily actions go a long way to creating a safe space where people can say what they mean and speak of how they feel. In doing so, they also give permission to their colleagues to do the same.

Productive Conflict – Because team members can be honest with each other, they say what they think even when their voice is a dissenting one. Their disagreements aren’t personal. They stay focused on the work, and they hear each other out.

Commitment – When decisions are made, team members commit, even if they don’t agree. This doesn’t mean that they “go along to get along.” Far from it! Instead, it means that because they trust each other, and have been able to actively, openly, share their views, and be heard, they can eventually support the final decision. Because they’ve weighed-in, they can buy-in.

Accountability – When team members hold each other accountable for commitments, it’s an example of taking responsibility for each others’ performance, well-being and learning. Often tough to do, but necessary. Because team members care about the work, and others on the team, the discomfort that often accompanies providing negative feedback or expressing a concern will not be a deterrent to speaking up with a colleague.

Results – This is all about collective results. Team members, because they share responsibility for each other’s performance, are willing to make individual trade-offs to support the collective team goals.

Demonstrating all 5 behaviors, as often as possible, takes ongoing attention and practice. Even the most mature teams don’t take the 5 Behaviors for granted. Team members that commit to practicing these behaviors will find their performance, well-being and learning is fostered by both their own actions as well as the actions of their colleagues.