If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This African proverb neatly sums up our view on the power of teams for unleashing potential:

teams

We’re stronger together.

build chemistry

Higher employee engagement leads to higher revenues

Motivation

drive engagement

Alignment

of variance in team performance comes down to team chemistry

40%

Alignment

Motivation

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But that’s only part of the equation.

When you unleash potential in one person, they inspire and unleash potential in others, too.

When you structure your organization for inclusion—giving every person an equal chance to progress—the results speak for themselves. Our research shows diverse and inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time. 75% of inclusive innovators are more likely to see ideas become productized. And companies with above-average diversity report a 19% higher innovation revenue. For this to work, leaders need to remove any barriers that get in the way of inclusion or slow fresh thinking down.

Embrace the power of all

The greater the mix of people in your team, the greater your team and business.

But you can fast-track that process by making the space for people to have vulnerable conversations, and by getting creative. We’ve found team-building events actually help create synchrony in teams, even after the event. And, when you’re not actively team building, remember the basics. Make eye contact, listen, and create psychological safety by giving your people clearly defined roles and the space to experiment and make mistakes without repercussions.

Teams with less turnover naturally build more chemistry.

You can build chemistry

If your teams aren’t supporting each other, there are things you can do to fix it

How you structure your teams is as important as how you inspire each person within them

A lack of structure is less of a problem in the World's Most Admired companies, where leaders agree collaboration boosts performance—if everyone does it.

And right now, lots of organizations are falling short. Our research shows that 49% of employees give their organizations low marks for being effectively organized and structured.

47% of people say they struggle to get enough support from other teams to reach their goals.

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Alignment

Motivation

Alignment

Motivation

When an entire team has great chemistry, they’re likely to perform better and exceed their potential. But what makes a team a team? Simply assembling a group of competent individuals isn’t enough to guarantee success. In fact, in one study, less than half of executives believed leaders in their organizations were highly skilled in collaboration. And some estimated that up to 60% of teams failed to accomplish their performance goals. So what moves a team on from a collection of individuals to a cohesive, high-performing group? Having a common purpose, goal and mission to bind everyone together. That glue creates a shared commitment, camaraderie and a long-term vision. It stops people simply reacting to daily events and keeps them focused on a bigger mission.

1 - Parisi-Carew, 2011

1. The Feature the World’s Most Admired Companies Share

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Audio summary

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Audio summary

Alignment

Motivation

RETURN