Team effectiveness: 4 models to build better teams

Building a high-performing team requires effort. With people bringing different skills and personalities, team success and cohesion can change over time. Team effectiveness means how well members work together to reach shared goals.

When a team works well together, members feel more empowered in their roles, which improves engagement and satisfaction. Happy team members tend to perform better.

To build a high-performing team, you first need an effective one. This article explains what team effectiveness means, the main factors that shape it, four proven models, and how to use them in your own team.

What is team effectiveness?

Team effectiveness is about how well a team collaborates, communicates, and works together to reach shared goals. It’s a balance between getting good results and making sure team members feel engaged, satisfied, and supported.

Experts have developed various models of team effectiveness, and leaders use them with teams around the world. You can try one of these approaches to help your team perform better. Each model has its own strategies, but they all aim to help teams work well together.

Why is team effectiveness important?

Team effectiveness is crucial for individual and group well-being. A strong group dynamic is the foundation for many other aspects of a happy team, including team morale and productivity.

Team effectiveness brings several benefits for both team members and overall performance.

Effective teams:

• Become more resilient to challenges that arise.

• Experience positive synergy with their coworkers.

• Feel more empowered in their careers.

Team members on effective teams:

• Have higher energy to work harder and longer.

• Are more focused, which reduces errors.

• Are more productive, which produces better results.

Team effectiveness begins with the group and then impacts each person. When individuals feel confident in their roles and relationships, that positive energy shows in their work.

Key factors that influence team effectiveness

Before picking a model, it’s helpful to know the main factors that research links to effective teams. These are the basics that every model tries to cover in some way.

• Trust: When team members trust one another, they're more willing to share ideas, take risks, and ask for help. Without trust, collaboration stalls and teams default to working in silos.

• Communication: Clear, open communication keeps everyone aligned. Effective teams establish regular channels for sharing updates, raising concerns, and giving feedback.

• Psychological safety: Teams perform at their best when every member feels safe speaking up without fear of judgment. Google's Project Aristotle found this was the single most important factor in high-performing teams.

• Clear goals and direction: When every team member understands what they're working toward and why it matters, their daily efforts stay focused and purposeful.

• Shared accountability: Effective teams hold each other accountable, not just from the top down, but peer to peer. When everyone takes ownership of their commitments, the team builds momentum over time.

Knowing these factors helps you look at your own team more clearly. The models below give you practical ways to build on these areas and help your team perform better.

4 team effectiveness models

Following a team effectiveness model makes it easier for you to lead your team toward success. Effective teams require effective leaders, and while your leadership style is important, it may not work for everyone. Incorporating a model into your leadership strategy can ensure you're leading your team in a compelling direction.

Take a look at the four team effectiveness models below and choose the one that best fits your team.

1. The Lencioni model

Patrick Lencioni, author of "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," developed a model that focuses on the main causes of team problems and conflict. This model helps you spot where your team can improve.

He breaks these dysfunctions into five layers, shown as a pyramid. The biggest issue is at the bottom, while the smallest is inattention to results at the top.

Lencioni's elements of a dysfunctional team:

1. Absence of trust: When team members are afraid to ask for help.

2. Fear of conflict: When team members don't feel comfortable speaking up.

3. Lack of commitment: When team members don't know how to follow through.

4. Avoidance of accountability: When team members don't set standards or don't understand the standards that have been set.

5. Inattention to results: When team members don't focus on their performance.

Lencioni says that effective teams avoid these dysfunctions. Instead, they focus on doing the opposite, such as:

1. Trust

2. Conflict resolution

3. Commitment

4. Accountability

5. Attention to results

If you want your team to improve, this model can help you identify areas for improvement. It can also help you uphold group effectiveness once you achieve it.

Team example:

This model helps you fix or prevent team problems. To take action, focus on doing the opposite of each dysfunction in Lencioni’s model.

For example, Lencioni believes that trust is the most important action for an effective team. You can build trust by holding weekly Q&A sessions and making it normal to ask for help.

2. The T7 model

Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger created the T7 Model for team effectiveness. This model looks at both internal and external factors that help a team succeed.

According to this model, five internal factors influence team effectiveness.

• Thrust: The team has a common goal.

• Trust: Team members trust one another.

• Talent: Each team member has relevant skills and experience.

• Team skills: Team members work together and communicate effectively.

• Task skills: Team members accomplish tasks efficiently.

And there are two external factors that influence team effectiveness.

• Team leader fit: Team members trust their leader and respect their leadership style.

• Team support from the company: The company supports the team and gives them the resources needed to succeed.

Use the T7 model as a checklist to see your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Your team might already be strong in some areas, while others could use improvement.

Team example:

Create a checklist based on the T7 model and use it as both an action plan and a way to track your team’s progress. For example, under "Thrust," your action items could be:

• Set SMART goals for every project.

• Create quarterly team objectives and key results (OKRs), with the key results being individual tasks.

• Meet weekly to discuss progress toward project and team goals.

Creating actionable steps will bring the T7 structure to life and help your team work better together.

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3. Tuckman's team development model

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman created the Tuckman team development model. In this model, he explains that teams develop through four stages; however, these stages of team development occur differently for every group, and it isn't always linear.

The aim of this model is to help your team move through each stage and keep improving.

• Stage 1. Forming: Team members come together, unsure of the group dynamic.

• Stage 2. Storming: Team members get to know one another, and conflicts may arise as differences in work style and personality come to light.

• Stage 3. Norming: Team members adjust to one another. They collaborate and put their differences aside.

• Stage 4. Performing: Team members know each other well enough to respect and trust one another, which leads to better performance.

Not every team reaches the Performing stage. To get there, team members need to be both independent and work well together.

Team example:

To help your team reach the Performing stage, start by understanding where they are now. If your team is new, they’ll need to go through Forming, Storming, and Norming first.

To help your team reach the Performing stage, support them along the way. Encourage team relationships and provide ways to resolve conflicts when needed.

4. Katzenbach and Smith model

Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, who wrote "The Wisdom of Teams," created a triangle-shaped model for team effectiveness. Each point stands for a key team goal, and the sides show how teams can reach those goals.

Fundamental team goals:

• Performance results

• Work products

• Personal growth

Three skills needed to reach team goals:

• Skills: Your team needs communication, problem-solving, and functional work skills to create work products and meet performance goals.

• Accountability: To meet goals and grow, teams need to hold themselves and each other responsible.

• Commitment: Teams need to be dedicated to their goals and shared purpose to grow and get results.

Team example:

To use this model, start by checking if your team has the key parts: skills, accountability, and commitment. Find out where you need to improve and focus on those areas.

For example, your team might have skills and commitment, but if they lack accountability, it can affect their growth and results. Set clear boundaries and encourage them to see accountability as a way to respect each other.

How to implement a teamwork model

Get to know the team effectiveness models above before sharing one with your team. As a leader, you need to understand how each model works before you use it.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each team effectiveness model, but it's important to stick with one to keep your vision clear. Use it to identify team needs and evaluate progress as you go.

When you have a clear structure of what you want to achieve, you're more likely to meet your goals.

2. Involve and align your team

As you work through the team effectiveness model you've chosen, involve team members in the improvement process. You don't need to mention the team effectiveness model outright, but open communication in the workplace is key to building better relationships.

For example, if you choose the Lencioni model, focus on attention to results, accountability, commitment, conflict resolution, and trust. Explain these components with relatable examples of what effectiveness in each area looks like.

Ask team members for feedback on their pain points. Then, work together to bring the model and its benefits to life.

3. Emphasize collaboration

Regardless of the model you choose, collaboration is essential to your team's development. Collaboration involves working together, even when challenges arise. The goal should be for team members to feel comfortable expressing themselves respectfully, even if or when they disagree.

Implementing a team effectiveness model is only one part of the equation. As a leader, you must actively model collaboration and set the standard for how your team should communicate.

4. Check in regularly

As you adjust team processes to fit your new teamwork model, check in on team members'performance and well-being. Performance evaluations are a good opportunity to have these conversations.

They'll need time to adapt to the new model, and the model needs time to work. Be patient, and don't get discouraged if you don't see changes in team productivity or individual performance right away.

Make your team more effective with Asana

Your working relationships can shape how you feel about your work. By building an effective team, team members will feel more satisfied and, as a result, be more productive. But keep in mind that the team effectiveness model you choose will take some effort to maintain.

To make it easier for team members to adapt, try work management software. With Asana, team members can communicate and collaborate in one place, which helps them work toward a shared purpose.

Whether you're tracking goals, assigning tasks, or checking in on progress, Asana gives your team the visibility they need to stay aligned. Get started today and see how it helps your team work better together.

No more silos: Optimizing your organizational structure for stronger cross-team collaboration

In this ebook, learn how to structure your organization to prevent silos, move faster, and stay aligned in the face of change.

Get the insights

Frequently asked questions about team effectiveness