Creating & Sustaining team performance is a tricky thing. When you feel that the team is Implementing moving towards High Performance, a crisis or shake-up can happen to the team, causing them to lose trust.

I find it interesting that the conditions that enable a team to succeed in a crisis can become dysfunctional during times of stability. Success does not automatically lead to more success. Instead, it creates conditions that require the team to re-define:

• Why it exists
• What skills are needed for the teamwork
• Team Leadership
• Team design
• Team norms

The team’s previous good work created the need for it to change its approach & work style.

When this happens to look at these 5 challenges for teams to create & sustain team performance may be helpful.

5 challenges creating & sustaining team performance

1. Leadership Challenge – Strong directive leadership frequently is required in a crisis. Once stability is achieved, a more cooperative style is useful.
2. Redefining the Team Task – A crisis demands action & provides clear direction for that action. In stability, the tasks of the management team are ambiguous.
3. Changes in Team Composition – Different circumstances require different skilled-knowledge & capacities.
4. Changes in Team Norms – Team norms that develop during a crisis are likely to be dysfunctional during periods of stability.
5. Team Leadership – Leading a management team requires that several tensions are managed continuously. This use of wisdom & tools is very different with a crisis team vs. a stable team.