It is PerformanSe’s firm belief that understanding what motivates your team can help you make performance gains. On the basis of a study of about a hundred teams of different sizes from a variety of sectors conducted using TEAM BOOSTER (a tool for assessing and enhancing collective performance), the publisher identified 4 major team motivators from which they then defined 4 team styles.
A team is born the moment you have two people working together on inter-related activities with a common goal. Still, teams don’t all function in exactly the same way as one another, regardless of whether they have 2 or 20 members…
- The “systematic” team
These teams are characterised by stringent systems of incentives. They are reliable and look to maximise efficiency by adhering closely to a pre-determined organisational structure. They sometimes have a tendency to put pressure on people to follow their processes. “The systematic team finds its reliability in the processes that it effortlessly puts into motion. The flip side of this means that they can sometimes run into trouble when it comes to challenging themselves, changing their work habits if such a change has no purpose or isn’t robust enough for them,” continued PerformanSe R&D engineer and group work specialist Arnaud Trenvouez.
- The “competitive” team
Members of a competitive team are full of fight and tenacity; they are constantly competing with one another and seeking to exert influence in their quest for power and supremacy. Each one wants to be in control of his or her own affairs and tends towards independence. In this type of team there is a lot of dialogue, even if some people aren’t always keen to let others speak. “The conflict isn’t a problem because it often takes the form of (occasionally intense) debate, which works as a driving force for these types of teams who relish the opportunity to challenge themselves. On the other hand, they can sometimes have trouble reaching a consensus,” said Arnaud Trenvouez.
- The “affinity” team
An essential feature of this team type is a strong sense of belonging. Preserving the team and more generally the atmosphere is what is most important to this group. Each member looks to find their place within the team, where they feel comfortable and integrated into the group, which can sometimes lead to them rejecting any form of open conflict or denying the existence of problems. “In this type of team, listening, compromise and cooperation are key qualities. The members put great emphasis on life in the team, occasionally at the expense of efficiency,” continued Arnaud Trenvouez.
- The “agile” team
These sorts of teams are sometimes referred to as “creative” on account of their penchant for improvisation. Agile teams’ worst enemy is boredom: they constantly feel the need to update their working methods and are always on the look out for new developments. The more laidback their working environment, the more at ease they feel. “Agile teams have an affinity for idea sharing and consolidation. They like having a comprehensive overview for all their projects, which can lead to methodological problems,” remarked Arnaud Trenvouez
These 4 team types provide valuable, novel approaches that can help teams to improve their understanding of what motivates them, take stock of potential risks that might hinder the efficiency of their operations, and adapt their working methods to boost performance.
Find out how to keep your team type motivated by downloading the PerformanSe guide :
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