How Effective Is Your Team?

Here's a question worth asking every team: on a scale of one to ten, how effective are you? The answers are always varied and subjective — but the act of rating is revealing. Rarely is a team aligned on how it would even describe its own effectiveness, which raises a bigger question: are they actually a team?

A team, or a group that meets?

Many of the teams we work with are really a group of people who come together regularly — but to what end? With hybrid working challenging our ability to connect, the mandate of coming together as a team to achieve a common goal can quietly erode.

Team effectiveness starts with purpose

For us, alignment starts with purpose — not the business's purpose, but the team's. Why does this particular group sit around the (sometimes virtual) table week after week? What are they jointly responsible and accountable for? What binds them together? Without that, by definition, they aren't a team — which begs the question: do they need to be?

Frequently asked questions

How do you measure team effectiveness?

Start by having the team self-rate one to ten and discuss the gaps. The conversation about what effectiveness even means is often more useful than the score.

What makes a group of people an actual team?

A shared purpose and joint accountability — a reason the group exists and works together — rather than simply meeting on a regular schedule.