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What is Team Performance Management?

Raianne Fe Aguhar
Raianne Fe Aguhar

A team should work in harmony — in any organization, two or more people working together harmoniously is a major factor towards achieving success. It is the duty of a leader to monitor the performance of his or her team; bring out the best among his or her subordinates; and determine the weaknesses, strengths, and potential development of each team member. Team performance management is the major key in increasing productivity within a group.

Performance management centers on allowing an individual to perform to the best of his or her ability. This enables the employee to meet or exceed expectations and develop efficient communication with his or her fellow employees and leaders. The leader, in turn, should give feedback for continuing improvements and for skills to be nurtured and developed.

A team should work in harmony.
A team should work in harmony.

Team performance management is important to the success of a company. Without it, it is difficult to determine whether a team is headed in the right direction. A project’s success is largely based on a team’s efficiency. Getting people to focus on the right things to accomplish drives good business results.

Effective team management motivates workers to take responsibility for their job performance and produce superior outputs. In most cases, a consistent demand for a quality performance yields the best results. Managing the performance of a team is a real challenge because it requires a lot of diplomacy, tact, and discipline. For instance, negative feedback should always be paired with motivation and should not be given too frequently.

Team leaders should establish clear goals and communication.
Team leaders should establish clear goals and communication.

A well-defined team finishes projects in a timely manner. Building a team and maintaining good working relationships may be difficult to do, however. In team performance management, team members undergo a number of development phases to work together effectively. Rewards are given to well-performing individuals, while motivation is given to those who have become too lax in their performance.

Collaborations tend to be most effective when working toward a specific goal or outcome.
Collaborations tend to be most effective when working toward a specific goal or outcome.

A team should understand the functions and roles of its members. The leader should be able to establish continuous communication lines and set clear goals that are understood. His or her group should be informed when goals change or when new members are added. A team that functions well accomplishes projects quickly and with less difficulty, misunderstanding, and conflict.

While people may be inclined to think that effective teams are naturally built, the success of a team actually requires a great deal of training, supervision, and motivation. Without these, a team is most likely to perform inefficiently. Proper time management and an organized working environment are essential. Team performance management is ultimately the backbone of most successful companies.

Discussion Comments

umbra21

@pastanaga - I don't know, I'm a big fan of doing things by the gut instinct and I think that can work with a high performance team, as long as you take their feedback on board. I don't think many people do like open plan offices, but unfortunately, they are cheaper so I don't think they are going away.

I think it's important to make sure the team gets pampered and allowed to socialize outside the office. If everyone is comfortable with each other, they are much more likely to speak up if they've got a good idea.

pastanaga

@irontoenail - Actually one of the things I would suggest to anyone who manages a team of workers is that they should keep an eye on the latest science about team management rather than just go with their gut. There are several things I've read about lately which I wouldn't have thought were true but have been proved in studies.

For example, an open plan office is supposed to enhance team performance because it allows everyone to communicate and maybe even brainstorm together all the time. It's supposed to foster a sense of community.

But, in fact, studies have shown the opposite is true. Being subjected to people all around you while you're trying to concentrate is extremely stressful. Probably because the human brain is set up to try and pay attention to people, even if they are talking softly in the background. It wants to listen in, meaning it's very difficult to maintain focus on a piece of paper or a computer screen.

This says to me that a set up for effective team communication would involve allowing everyone their own space and then letting them come together to work on projects at specific times, rather than forcing them together all the time.

irontoenail

I was watching a TED video the other day which addressed some of the techniques that are used by various businesses in order to produce a better team performance. They said that one of the companies (I can't remember which one) will let their employees have one day per month in which they can work on anything they like and use company resources in order to do it.

Apparently, that one day of complete freedom is one of the most productive days they have all month. Everyone is doing something that they've got a passion for and they can follow up hunches and so forth.

And I think this is an important thing to remember when it comes to high performing teams. You need to make sure that everyone has the freedom to do their best. If you're hanging over everyone's shoulders for most of the day, you're not doing your job properly.

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    • A team should work in harmony.
      By: drubig-photo
      A team should work in harmony.
    • Team leaders should establish clear goals and communication.
      By: Syda Productions
      Team leaders should establish clear goals and communication.
    • Collaborations tend to be most effective when working toward a specific goal or outcome.
      By: Tom Wang
      Collaborations tend to be most effective when working toward a specific goal or outcome.