Earlier this month I attended the Integro Accreditation on Building High Performance Teams. I was curious to know what research can tell us about what constitutes a successful team culture.

Based on Integro’s research involving more than 6,000 employees over the past 4 years, they have been able to demonstrate a clear correlation between trust and organisational performance.

“Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. Without it, teamwork is all but impossible.” Patrick Lencioni. Author. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

It makes sense to me. If you feel trusted as a team member you are more motivated to go the extra mile. And when you trust your team members and leaders you feel more confident in what you can achieve together. I’m sure you can think of a team where everyone trusted each other and the high level of energy that created. Conversely when there is a low level of trust just how demotivating that can be. Who wants to do their best when there is no trust?

But why is trust important now? Well, it is all because of the disruption that has occurred to our work environments. The things that we took for granted like face-to-face meetings or incidental corridor conversations are now missing. And amidst change and uncertainty we seek security in the things we value most such as inclusion, recognition and respect. And these all have a foundation in trust.

So how can you turn an average team or department into a top-performing one?

Intégro’s research has helped define the how. The research revealed that there are two key skills that leaders must demonstrate in order to build trust: consistency and communication.

Consistency meaning reliability and doing what you say you will do and Communication meaning being open and honest with information and listening to the ideas and feedback from your team. It is not surprising that “Employees first and foremost trust leaders who trust them and treat them with respect.”

But for Leaders there is also an important distinction between being trustworthy and being trusted. If you are honest and ethical you may be seen to be trustworthy but if your actions are perceived to be contradictory or not aligned with the expressed values, then your team members may not trust you.

What the research has identified is that there are 4 four observable behaviours that underpin trust: Reliability; Acceptance; Openness and Congruence. And these behaviours are driven by the eight values that build trust and each of these characteristics can be measured and improved.

If you are ready to take your team to the next level of performance especially in this changing work environment, then read more in the attached White Paper: More Trust = More Profitability. Then contact us at warren@howardco.com.au to discuss how we can help you build a high performing team.