For at least a decade, organizations large and small have embraced the team concept. Cross-functional teams of specialists keep pace with expanding technology, changing markets and steep competition.

Although the logic for using teams of specialists is sound, the practice has failed to deliver the expected results.

To many, the word “team” has become synonymous with “time wasted.”

In their book, When Teams Work Best, Frank Fasto and Carl Larson discovered, “No matter how remarkable our individual talents, only our ability to collaborate will allow us to address and solve the most meaningful issues.”

There are two clear impediments to the success of a cross-functional team: lack of trust and lack of clarity.

Without trust, teams work at the lowest level, rather than stretching to be the best. Members are reluctant to share ideas and challenge assumptions; they hesitate to support each other’s efforts.

In reality, so-called teams are really individuals charged with being successful – they work hard, with little regard for other team members.

Leaders inadvertently foster competitiveness, even though they want effective teams. Management practices commonly reward individual efforts without considering the effect on the overall business. This type of competition can actually impede a business’s progress.

According to Fasto and Larson, there is a simple but powerful linear relationship that drives teams: “Clarity drives confidence, confidence drives commitment.”

Leadership that establishes clarity of purpose creates an environment that delivers results. A true team, committed to a common goal, resolves problems as they arise. They pull together, instead of pulling apart.

It is the wise leader who understands that developing effective teamwork will provide a strategic advantage as business complexity increases. Real teams work together and are happy to do so.  The result is greater productivity, lower turnover and drastically reduced conflict.

Read the Case Study: How Individual Goals Can Wreck Company Performance

Take the PowerStep