How to build a strong team!

Team development

February 3, 2024 Door KeyQuest

Friendly team eating pizza at the table while working.

When people think of teamwork, they often think of team sports like football and hockey. But teamwork extends beyond the boundaries of sports fields: it is a powerful engine that drives innovation, creativity, and success in every context. Unfortunately, many people also associate teamwork with frustration. This is a shame, because teamwork forms the backbone of successful companies and organizations.

Patrick Lencioni, a renowned management consultant and author, introduces a pyramid model for building a strong team in his book "The five dysfunctions of a team." Based on Lencioni’s book, we will explain how you can transform your team into a high-performing team!

Lencioni's pyramid.

Lencioni's pyramid consists of 5 elements that determine a team's success. By balancing and strengthening these five elements, teams can increase their effectiveness and achieve better results. When the elements are out of balance, it manifests as frustration, and your pyramid is unstable.

Trust: Without mutual trust, team members cannot communicate openly or be vulnerable. Trust creates a safe environment where members feel free to share their ideas and concerns. Team members understand each other’s emotional states and are open to each other's perspectives; there is empathy within the team.
Conflict: Healthy teams do not avoid conflict; they can confront and resolve it. This does not mean that there should be constant arguments, but there is space for honest discussions and sharing differing viewpoints.
Commitment: When team members feel involved in decision-making and achieving goals, they are more motivated to contribute to the team's success. They feel ownership over the results and are more likely to fully engage.
Accountability: Each team member must feel accountable for the collective results of the team. This means they are willing to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions, as well as for the group outcomes.
Results: The ultimate goal of a team is to achieve concrete results. These can be measurable objectives that contribute to the organization’s mission and vision.

Are you experiencing a lot of frustration in your team and recognize one or more elements that are out of balance? We are always here to help and would be happy to see what your team needs. With our TeamUP method, which is partly based on Lencioni's pyramid, we provide insight into the functioning of your team, analyze what your team needs, and present you with a unique dashboard that visualizes development aspects and the maturity of your team. In short, all the support you need to build a successful team!