“A tight-knit team is a high-performing team.” That’s what I used to think when I thought about leading teams. But it’s not entirely true.
According to a 1998 study, how well a team performs depends not on their cohesiveness but on a combination of cohesiveness and group norms. Think of the equation as Performance = Cohesion x Norms.
Consider a team that puts stability and conflict reduction first (”social norms”). They support each other and create a welcoming environment. No one challenges a missed deadline because deadlines aren’t the goal. They fail to perform.
Then, consider a team that focuses first on goal achievement (”performance norms”). The team holds each other accountable for getting work done. When the team misses a deadline, they feel it. They try harder next time.
Both teams are equally cohesive. Each team is full of trust and alignment. But they’re aligned towards different goals. (Note that “social norms” and “performance norms” aren’t mutually exclusive)
So, what does this mean for managers? Here are four pieces of advice for creating a cohesive, high-performing team.
- Establish high performance clearly and early.
Norms are set very early into the life of a team. Leaders should set a high standard early.
- Focus on performance norms first, cohesion second.
A lot of “team-building” rhetoric centres on building cohesion. But before you think about team-building, you need to have a solid foundation of norms. Cohesion is a force multiplier.
- Never let a good crisis go to waste.
Take advantage of storming to reset performance norms. A crisis is an opportunity to change how you work in ways that weren’t possible before.
- Don’t be afraid to introduce conflict.
Cohesive teams rarely move from low to high-performance norms. Instead, move the team back into storming to allow for norms to reset.
Whatever that “performance” looks like varies from company to company. But you know it when you see it. And you know when you’re aiming for it. Where you have seen high-cohesion and high-performance come together?