Article written by Kelly Ouellet, Organizational psychologist and accredited mediator | Organizational health consultant
3 tools to optimize team functioning and performance
Why optimize team effectiveness?
Teamwork is a powerful lever for improving organizational performance. Compared to individual work, it mobilizes everyone’s strengths and skills, while meeting basic human needs such as social interaction and affiliation (Khawam et al., 2017).
Optimizing teams isn’t just about setting objectives: it’s about clarifying roles, mobilizing talent and implementing continuous improvement mechanisms. A high-performance team is able to collaborate effectively, make decisions more quickly and generate superior results.
The benefits of a high-performing team
According to Khawam et al (2017), high-performing teams offer many benefits for the employees and the organization:
- Improved employee relationships
- Technical and interpersonal skills development
- Improved quality of life at work
- Increased job satisfaction and performance
- Increased organizational efficiency and flexibility
- Strengthened social support within the group
- Enhanced cooperation
- More engaging and stimulating work
These benefits show that team optimization is not only strategic for the organization, but also beneficial for the employees’ well-being.
1. RACI matrix: clarifying roles and responsibilities
(Autissier et al., 2022)
The RACI matrix is a simple, effective tool for clarifying everyone’s roles and responsibilities.
| Tasks/activities | Responsible (R) | Accountable (A) | Consulted (C) | Informed (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Description of the task or activity
|
Person performing the task
|
Person who assumes responsibility for the activity and its consequences
|
Person whose opinion is sought
|
Person to be kept informed, but not involved in carrying out the activity
|
Why use it?
- Prevents confusion and duplication
- Clarifies responsibilities
- Facilitates coordination and decision-making
2. Situational leadership - Hersey and Blanchard
(Daubier and Daubier, 2022)
This matrix positions each team member according to his or her level of competence and level of commitment, in order to choose the most appropriate management style: coaching, leading, supporting or delegating.
| Low competence | High competence | |
|---|---|---|
|
High commitment
|
Supporting: guiding, encouraging and building confidence. Example: assigning progressive responsibilities, providing personalized coaching.
|
Delegating: entrusting important tasks or projects, allowing maximum autonomy. Example: providing occasional follow-up, allowing freedom of action.
|
|
Low commitment |
Directing: giving precise instructions, closely supervising, clarifying expectations. Example: setting micro-goals, providing regular follow-up. |
Coaching / motivating: identifying motivations, working on involvement, developing skills.
Example: setting challenging goals, encouraging, recognizing progress. |
Benefits :
- Identifies talents to mobilize and support needs
- Optimizes autonomy and accountability
- Improves individual and collective motivation and performance
3. Start - Stop - Continue: adjust and improve operations
(Hool et al., 2014)
Start – Stop – Continue is a collective feedback tool that allows the team to reflect on its practices:
- Start: what to start doing
- Stop: what to stop doing
- Continue: what to keep doing
| Category | Examples/Feedback | Responsible/Follow-up |
|---|---|---|
|
Start
|
What the team should start doing to improve work or collaboration.
|
Person or team responsible for setting up.
|
|
Stop |
What is not working or what is holding the team back and should be stopped. |
Person or team responsible for putting an end to it. |
|
Continue |
What works well and needs to be maintained or reinforced. |
Person or team responsible for maintaining these practices. |
Impact:
- Encourages continuous improvement
- Enhances communication and transparency
- Enables the team to self-adjust quickly
Conclusion
Optimizing a team means enhancing the performance, cohesion and motivation of its members.
At Brio, we support organizations in various ways, such as through development coaching, training, conflict management and climate diagnostics. Our approach helps teams to :
- Identify and mobilize their strengths
- Develop key skills for collective performance
- Prevent and resolve tensions
- Create a collaborative and motivating environment
Do you want to maximize your team’s potential and support your employees’ development?
Make an appointment with Brio and benefit from personalized support to achieve your organizational and human objectives.
References
Autissier, D., Moutot, J.-M., Johnson, K. and Metais-Wiersch, E. (2022). Tool 45. La matrice RACI. La boîte à outils de la Conduite du changement et de la transformation (p. 130-131). Dunod. https://shs.cairn.info/la-boite-a-outils-de-la-conduite-du-changement-et-de-la-transformation–9782100846047-page-130?lang=fr.
Daubier, M. and Daubier, S. (2022). Tool 25. Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership. Pro en Agilité: 66 outils 10 plans d’action 12 ressources numériques (p. 76-77). Vuibert. https://shs.cairn.info/pro-en-agilite–9782311625462-page-76?lang=fr.
Hoon, A., Oliver, E., Szpakowska, K., & Newton, P. (2014). Use of the ‘Stop, Start, Continue’ method is associated with the production of constructive qualitative feedback by students in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(5), 755-767. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.956282
Khawam, A. M., DiDona, T., & Hernández, B. S. (2017). Effectiveness of teamwork in the workplace. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research, 32(3), 267-286.