The role of teamwork in the workplace continues to expand, with more than 81% of employees frequently working in teams. However, many organizations still struggle to drive effective collaboration and alignment both within and across departments. Why?
First, traditional performance technologies and programs have historically centered on the individual, rather than the team. Second, those same technologies focus on past performance, rather than continuous improvements.
According to our latest research, “The Future of Teamwork,” 69% of employees surveyed said that company-wide goal alignment is paramount to their success. However, 53% recognize they have zero to limited visibility into other team’s goals.
Good cross-functional alignment has a meaningful impact on employee performance and retention. Those who have good cross-functional alignment are:
180% more likely to agree that being part of a team inspires them to perform better.
98% more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work.
THE FUTURE OF TEAMWORK
Team alignment and visibility can help individuals find meaning and purpose in their work, as well as see their direct impact on business results.
We are thrilled to announce a new set of products along with several enhancements to help organizations overcome these challenges, and build high-performing teams. Our new Team Performance Management solution empowers teams to:
- Build teams for projects, cross-functional groups, and more
- Align around shared goals and outcomes with Team Goals
- Drive a culture of continuous improvements with Team Feedback
- Collaborate with teammates and improve communication through structured 1:1s
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IS A TEAM SPORT
Reflektive’s 4 Key Principles to Team Performance Management
Teams come in all shapes and sizes
When it comes to teamwork, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all performance management strategy. Each team faces unique challenges, based on the industry they are in, their company’s size, and even the type of projects they are working on. Your performance management platform must be designed to empower cross-functional, project-based, dynamic teams to drive a culture of continuous improvement. Whether you’re running ad-hoc feedback cycles, tracking team goals, or enabling team members to have ongoing performance conversations, the approach should be holistic and flexible.
Productive Teamwork Starts with Visibility
69% of employees surveyed said that company-wide goal alignment is paramount to their success. Yet, over 50% of employees say that they have limited to zero visibility into other teams’ goals. Poor visibility and alignment put business execution at risk. Organizations can change this by enabling goal visibility and alignment at the company, team, and individual levels, to optimize business execution.
Those who have visibility into other teams’ goals are:
81% more likely to agree that there is good alignment between their team and other teams
161% more likely to feel excited when they learn about a new team project
136% more likely to prefer working on a team vs. working on their own
The Future of Teamwork
The most recent enhancements to Reflektive’s goal management solution allow teams to align on shared outcomes more effectively by supporting the way in which they work today. The new Team Goals dashboard provides employees with visibility into strategic initiatives being supported by any given team across their organization, whether these are centered around departmental, cross-functional, or project-based efforts.
Continuous Feedback and Improvement
High-performing teams run on feedback. 74% of employees agree that high-performing teams share constructive feedback and commit to continuous improvements, and over 72% say that constructive feedback helps their team execute on their business strategy more effectively.
Whether upon completion of a project or as a way to track progress, the ability to get timely, constructive, and structured feedback can turn business issues into business wins. Only with continuous feedback can teams identify areas of improvement, and design action plans to address business issues early on.
An example of how this would look like in real life is Reflektive’s new Feedback solution. Among other things, it empowers teams to take control over their own development and growth by allowing them to run feedback cycles autonomously, to get the structured, and constructive feedback they need to drive continuous improvements. Employees can request feedback about themselves or initiate project-based feedback cycles for everyone on the team to give and receive feedback from one another. Managers and coaches also have the opportunity to request feedback about their direct reports, to learn how to better support and coach them.
Scale 1:1s Across your Team
One of the most pervasive obstacles for successful teamwork is communication. Help improve communication with structured, and more productive discussions.
However, having the right conversations might not be enough if those are not happening at the right time and on an ongoing basis. By encouraging team members to have recurrent 1:1s conversations, you’ll be making sure critical topics are addressed in a timely manner.
With Reflektive’s 1:1s solution, team members can now have the right conversations, at the right time, and develop action plans to address issues early on.
In business, like in team sports, success depends on thoughtful planning and execution. By embracing visibility, continuous feedback, and accountability, and bringing those values to life with Reflektive, your team can have an even bigger impact in driving company success.
Learn more about how Reflektive can empower team performance conversations at scale. Reach out to our team today to get a demo.