Virtual High Performance Teams Workshop

Research over the past 40 years has shown that teams progress through a series of predictable stages as they develop. Teams that approach these stages in a deliberate way can move through them quickly and minimize the time spent getting started, developing a common language, building trust, communicating openly, and addressing conflict effectively. Focusing on this process also helps teams build resilience and become more adaptive under pressure. Teams that fail to understand and work on their progress typically have poor relationships, lower collaboration, and deliver less than expected. The key questions become: • How can we understand the level of the team and identify what to do differently to move up the curve? • How can we handle stress and challenges and keep performing versus lose ground as a team? Understanding the life cycle of a high-performance team helps to identify how to answer these questions. If we know where the team stands at any point in time and know the next step a team needs to take to move up, we can pinpoint precisely what needs to be done to accelerate progress. The graphic below shows the major phases from activation to highly adaptive high-performance team.

HPT Process

Kintla’s High Performance Teams (HPT) process is designed to help teams assess their strengths and opportunities and map an improvement plan to keep moving up the effectiveness curve. This process helps team members adapt and become resilient as new challenges emerge.

The core of the process is an assessment that measures team effectiveness across four dimensions: alignment, process, relationships, and team culture including psychological safety

The steps for completing the assessment process are summarized below. All steps are guided by a Kintla facilitator virtually who sets up the assessment, debriefs the results with the team, and helps identify some practical actions to move forward.

  • Make commitment and inform the team

    At the beginning, the sponsoring leader agrees to complete the assessment and debrief and sends a communication to the team to let them know what is happening. Sponsors also identify the team members to be involved (usually 12 to 18 members).

  • Assess team effectiveness

    Team members provide input on a 20-item HPT survey to provide their views on current team effectiveness and to identify areas in need of attention. The assessment provides a comparison of the team’s effectiveness with other teams to show where they are more or less effective than others. The Kintla team works with the sponsor to review the results of the survey and to plan the team debrief meeting.

  • Debrief survey results and plan improvements

    The facilitator summarizes all results and presents the findings to the team in a debrief session. During the debrief session, the full team reviews and discusses the findings and identifies top priorities for improvement. Accountability for each of the actions is assigned to individuals or groups who are responsible for helping the team improve.

Impacts of the HPT Process

Teams that complete the process show

improvements in collaboration, communication, and accountability. They learn to approach key events in a more effective way and achieve high performance more quickly. Finally, they know how to get ready for challenging times and adapt better to change and uncertainty.

Social proof: testimonials

“Finally a practical approach to team building that team members can apply immediately to real issues that lead to better business outcomes.”

Workshop Participant

“Reviewing the results helped us have honest and productive conversations that helped create effective team solutions.”

Workshop Participant

“Because we were able to listen to each other, we were able to get the most out of what each of us had to offer. This process helped get our positions on the table and we were able to come to an agreement with all of the facts rather than try to make decisions that protected our silos.”

Workshop Participant

“HPT helped us build resilience in preparation for high-pressure events.”

Workshop Participant

“We were able to work together towards what was in the best interest of our organization, customers, and stakeholders. The transparent communication and the calm urgency served us well throughout all of the challenges we faced.”

Workshop Participant