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How-to guide: Understanding and measuring team success
Rahat Joshi
October 2, 2024
6
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Imagine a football team where no one knows the game plan. Some players charge ahead, others hang back, and a few are just confused about their role on the pitch. How likely are they to score a goal? The truth is, without clarity and teamwork, they’re more likely to end up frustrated, lost, and feeling like they’re running in circles. It’s no different for teams at work.
But team success isn't just about hitting targets; it’s about every person on that team feeling energised, connected, and excited about what they’re working towards together. It’s about having a shared purpose, a strong bond, and a culture where ideas can flow freely, risks are celebrated, and everyone feels they belong. That’s what makes a winning team.
In this article, we’re going to dive into what makes a successful team tick - and more importantly, how you can measure it. We’ll explore the biggest challenges teams face today, and the five key areas that can give you the clearest snapshot of team success: Team Spirit, Psychological Safety, Innovation, Participation, and Inclusion.
Whether you’re an HR professional or a leader, understanding these key "temperatures" is like having a playbook to elevate your team to greatness.
Ready to transform your team from good to unstoppable? Let’s get into it.
Our definition of a winning team is "a healthy and successful team that collaborates, communicates and innovates...together."
If you’d like to achieve this, your team must go beyond their individual achievements and create a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared accomplishment.
In our view, a successful team is also one where leaders and team members work together to achieve something bigger than themselves. It’s about hitting higher goals together - a collective effort where every person’s contribution drives the team forward.
And let’s be honest, the stats make a pretty compelling case. According to recent research, high-performing and engaged teams experience:
Those numbers aren’t just impressive - they’re a wake-up call for any leader or HR professional. Building a winning team is no longer just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for driving real, lasting success.
Of course, no team is perfect from the start. Building a successful team is like climbing a mountain - it takes time, effort, and the right approach. Along the way, you’re bound to face some challenges. Let’s take a look at these now.
Getting everyone in sync, working like a well-oiled machine, takes time, effort, and a lot of patience. It’s a process, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Along the way, there will be plenty of obstacles to face - and that’s okay. In fact, some of the greatest teams in history have been forged through adversity.
Here are the biggest challenges you’re likely to face:
This is one of the biggest hurdles teams face. No matter how hard we try, conflict is inevitable (we’re only human, after all). Team disagreements are a natural part of working together, but when left unresolved, they can spiral and seriously affect productivity (don’t panic, you can find out how to solve them here!).
According to HBR: "Conflict management is one of the top concerns for new managers, and with good reason. In the UK, around 38% of employees face interpersonal conflict every year, while in the US, employees spend almost three hours per week dealing with it. Plus, in the era of hybrid work, spotting and addressing conflicts has become even trickier."
Managers can spend up to 40% of their time dealing with conflict.The key to managing conflict? Active listening, clear communication, and a shared commitment to finding win-win solutions. Building a culture where conflict is seen as a chance for growth can lead to stronger, more resilient teams.
We love the flexibility of hybrid working, but it brings its own set of challenges. Keeping everyone connected when some are remote and others are in the office requires thoughtful planning to maintain smooth communication, team cohesion, and fairness in workloads.
As of 2023, 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, while 28.2% are on a hybrid schedule. And that number’s only set to rise. To make hybrid work thrive, it’s important to keep communication channels open and ensure that all team members, no matter where they are, feel equally included and valued.
Unplanned absences can disrupt team dynamics. With sick leave reaching a ten-year high, effective absence management is more important than ever. The best approach? Open communication, a well-thought-out contingency plan, and fostering a culture where employee wellbeing is prioritised.
If you want to find out more about how to protect your team from burnout, then check out all the information here.
Toxic workplaces can drain team morale, hinder productivity, and cause turnover to skyrocket. In fact, McKinsey reports that over 60% of negative workplace outcomes stem from toxic behaviours. That’s why identifying and addressing toxicity head-on is crucial.
Building a culture of openness, where feedback is welcomed and issues are swiftly dealt with, is key to keeping toxicity at bay and maintaining a positive work environment.
Life outside the office impacts what happens inside. Global events, economic uncertainty, and other external pressures can all add stress to your team’s workload.
In a 2023 Gallup survey, managers highlighted the top changes their organisations made:
Leaders need to be aware of these external pressures and offer support. Sometimes, it’s about sharing the load, providing flexibility, or just creating a space where team members feel heard and supported.
The key to overcoming these challenges is listening to and understanding your team.
When it comes to understanding how well your team is doing, it's not just about hitting targets and meeting deadlines. True team success runs much deeper - it’s about how your team members feel, how they interact, and whether they’re in an environment where they can shine.
This is where Winningtemp’s temperatures come in.
These key metrics, rooted in research, offer invaluable insight into the health of your team. By tracking them, you gain a real-time understanding of what’s working, where challenges lie, and how to build a team that not only performs well but feels great doing it.
Let’s explore the five most crucial temperatures for measuring team success:
Team Spirit is the heartbeat of collaboration. When team members feel connected, engaged, and united by a common purpose, the energy is contagious. It’s the difference between a group of individuals working side by side and a team that’s truly in sync, supporting each other through thick and thin. A strong team spirit fosters loyalty, boosts motivation, and ensures that everyone feels part of something bigger.
Imagine being able to speak your mind at work without fear of judgement or repercussion. That’s what psychological safety is all about - creating an environment where people feel secure enough to express their thoughts, ask questions, and admit mistakes. Research shows that teams with high psychological safety are more innovative, adaptable, and successful because they allow space for vulnerability and growth. Without it, team members hold back, and progress stalls.
In today’s fast-paced world, standing still is the same as falling behind. Innovation is about pushing boundaries, trying new ideas, and constantly seeking improvement. Winning teams are not afraid to experiment and fail because they know that’s where the magic happens. By fostering a culture of innovation, you encourage creativity and problem-solving, ensuring your team stays ahead of the curve.
Success is a team effort. Participation measures how actively involved and engaged each team member is in the day-to-day functioning of the team. It’s about ensuring everyone has a voice, feels heard, and contributes to the collective success. High participation levels indicate a healthy team dynamic where collaboration and shared responsibility drive performance.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) are more than just buzzwords; they are the foundation of a truly thriving team. While diversity brings a range of perspectives and experiences, inclusion ensures everyone feels like they belong. Inclusion is about creating an environment where every team member feels valued for who they are, not just what they bring to the table. A strong sense of belonging drives engagement, loyalty, and trust, which are essential for long-term team success.
Understanding and measuring team success is no small feat, but it’s essential for creating a thriving, high-performing workplace.
By focusing on key elements like Team Spirit, Psychological Safety, Innovation, Participation, and Inclusion, you gain a deeper insight into the health of your team. These temperatures offer a clear roadmap, helping you to navigate challenges, boost engagement, and ensure every team member feels valued and empowered.
Remember, success isn’t just about achieving goals; it’s about how you achieve them - together. When you use Winningtemp, you can keep track of how your employees feel about work at any given time. We have over 20 different categories - that we call temperatures - that help each team easily spot areas they’re performing greatly and where they need to put in extra work.
The temperatures were developed together with leading research scientists at Gothenburg University. Each category's temperature measures one specific area that affects organisations’ biggest challenges; employee engagement, employee turnover or sick leave.
Rahat is a Senior People Scientist at Winningtemp. She has a Masters in Industrial Management, with over 18 years experience as an HR/Organizational Behavior professional within a wide range of roles such as Organizational Development, HR Analytics, building and executing people strategies. At Winningtemp, her work centers around bringing a scientific mindset to organizational challenges and translating people data into actionable insights to improve business performance. She applies her HR experience to design solutions that provide a better world of work for employees.
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