2. Effective teams consist of members who have the skills necessary to
accomplish their own and group goals.
Team effectiveness models help to figure out which attitude, tools, and
strategies to adapt for your own team. Perhaps, it will assist to shed light
on what's working and what's not in your own team.
3. Tuckman's model
Bruce Tuckman presented his model in 1965 and outlined 4 stages, necessary for
teams to develop and grow:
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
4. Forming is about how people get to know each other. At this stage team members usually avoid
conflicts and as they want to be accepted into the group.
Storming. At this stage, people begin to feel safer. They push the boundaries and conflicts may
appear. Irritations and resentments may erupt and negatively affect the team's performance.
Norming is the stage where the plan comes together. All the team members agree the plan,
timelines and define who should contribute what to the plan. They begin to clearly see others'
strengths and weaknesses.
Performing. At this stage, the team is successfully performing. It is stable and the goals are clear.
Everyone develops processes that work for the team and people follow them.
5. Katzenbach and Smith Model
Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith defined a team as a small group of people with
complementary skills; they are committed to a common purposes and approach for which they are
mutually accountable.
They visualized the model of efficient teams in a triangular diagram. There are three points being
the larger deliverables of any team:
• collective products and achievements
• performance results
• individual growth
6. The sides of the triangle are the factors needed to reach those goals:
• Commitment - teams are committed when they have goals.
• Skills - team members need problem-solving, technical and interpersonal skills
to perform.
• Accountability - team members must have mutual accountability to one
another as well as individual accountability to one's own work.
7. The T7 Model of Team Effectiveness
Robert Eichinger and Michael Lombardo defined 7 (five internal and two external) factors of
effectiveness. All of them are starting with "T":
• Thrust - a common goal
• Trust means that your team has your back
• Talent - unique skills to do the job
• Teaming - the ability to act as a team
• Task skills - the ability to execute
• Team leader fit
• Team support from the organization
8. Lencioni Model
Studying this model, you'll know about a work team effectiveness based on what causes
dysfunctions, misunderstanding and conflicts in a group. According to Lencioni, the dysfunctions
are the following:
• Lack of trust.
• Fear of conflicts.
• Lack of commitment.
• Avoidance of accountability.
• Inattention.
The model is visualized as a pyramid: you tackle each dysfunction one by one from the bottom up.
9. LaFasto and Larson Model
This model consists of 5 components that increase the likelihood of effectiveness.
Team member. The first step is picking the right person. It’s about a good listener, cooperation,
openness, supportiveness and positive personal style.
Team relationships. Appropriate behavior in a team stimulates healthy relationships between team
members.
Problem-solving. Healthy relationships allow to work together and solve problems.
Team leadership. A strong leadership enhances a total group's success.
Organization environment. What promotes confidence, clarity and commitment in a team?
10. Hackman “Five Factor Model”
J. Richard Hackman defined 5 conditions that increase the probability of team
effectiveness. The basement of the author's studies was connected with the U.S.
intelligence community. The author identified five factors for effectiveness:
• Being a real team
• Compelling direction
• Enabling structure
• Supportive context
• Expert coaching
11. How to choose the best model to implement? It's up to you. However, the best
option is that will allow teams to function better. It is a mysterious mix of individual
perspective, organizational support, and group dynamics.
All of the mentioned models focused on improving overall effectiveness should
help you identify specific elements that may be lacking in your own team.
