By Claude Werder, Vice President and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
I speak to corporations about talent management almost every day. I ask about their challenges, their priorities and their strategies. Team performance comes up in almost every conversation – and for good reason.
Seven of 10 organizations say more than half of their work is accomplished through teams, according to just-completed Brandon Hall Group research; 62% say the amount of work accomplished through teams will increase significantly over the next 1-2 years.
And yet … less than half of organizations say they have any kind of team development program and only 30% say their team development program is effective. Seventy-eight percent of organizations concede they are not investing enough time and budget for team development.
Why? Seventy-seven percent of organizations said competing priorities are the biggest barrier to effective team development programs.
So let’s get this straight: teams are responsible for the majority of work, the reliance on teams will only increase, but other priorities block additional investment (both time and money) on team development?
My question is, with the pervasive importance of teams, what are the competing priorities that keep pushing team development aside?
I have a proposition: I want to talk to more companies about team performance and team development. If you agree to a short interview on your organization’s team development challenges – and successes – I will gladly share a report or tool I am in the process of developing from our new research.
Just contact me at [email protected]. I look forward to speaking with you.
In the meantime, here are some pertinent questions that may help you evaluate your own situation around team performance and development:
- Does your organization have a team mindset?
- Does your organization understand the types of leaders and leadership required to leverage the power of teams?
- Does your organization understand the differences between team types (e.g., management teams, work teams, parallel teams, project teams, virtual teams) and the respective competencies members need to be effective?
- Do competing priorities that impede investment in team development have equal or greater potential business impact than teams?
- What are the best ways to measure the success of team development?
- Are individuals’ contributions to teams reflected in performance evaluations?
- Are organizational leaders sufficiently involved in your efforts to optimize teams to drive business results?
-Claude Werder, Vice President and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
Claude Werder is Brandon Hall Group’s Vice President and Principal HCM Analyst. He focuses on Leadership Development and Talent Management. Brandon Hall Group is a leading research and analyst firm with Practices in Learning & Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition and Workforce Management/Core HR.
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