In his reflection on the Team Effectiveness & Engagement Model (TEEM™⁾, Chris Corneil, Partner at ECI Partners, shares a powerful, evidence-based blueprint for building high-performing teams. Discover how TEEM™ can transform your organisation by fostering trust, clarity, and leadership for sustained success.

Over the years, our business has transitioned from working exclusively with senior leaders as their executive coaches, to a point now where more than half of what we do is working with teams. This is really important and impactful work, because we know organisations and teams are under increasing pressure to deliver. And heightened levels of fear are now more pronounced than ever.

The ECI Team prides itself upon leaning on science and research to help guide our work, and for more than five years we have wrestled with developing a proprietary evidence-based blueprint to help organisations create high-functioning, high-performing teams. Having scoured the best research, and created the framework, the final hurdle was convincing the ECI Team of its value and power. If this team could not be convinced, we knew the approach would not pass muster.

After many iterations, tweaks, inclusions and deletions, the Team Effectiveness & Engagement Model (TEEM^™) is now an architecture to help teams develop towards high performance.

Team Effectiveness and Engagement Model

At the heart of the TEEM^™ are seven core components that work together (but not in a linear fashion) to create a thriving team:

1. Effective Leadership: Leaders have a disproportionate impact on teams.  Leadership is a vital skill that is rarely taught in the way that many of our other skills are (eg: reading a balance sheet, strategy, engineering, law…) and yet it is core to high functioning.
2. Powerful Purpose: Far beyond the poster on the wall that no one remembers, a powerful purpose that emotionally moves and connects us to strive, is critical to high team functioning.
3. Clarity: High-performing teams have a clear understanding of their mission, goals, and strategic priorities. They know why they exist, what they are trying to achieve, and how their work contributes to the broader organisational vision. Clarity is also illusive as organisations are organic and our environments are constantly changing.
4. Relationships and Trust: The foundation of any successful team is built on trust, respect, psychological safety and open communication. Team members feel safe to express their ideas, challenge assumptions, and provide constructive feedback. Harmony often disguises a lack of genuine trust in teams.
5. The Right People and Skills: High-performing teams are composed of individuals with the right mix of skills, knowledge, experience and attributes such as humility, curiosity and determination to achieve their objectives. Great teams are also clear about the work they must do together, that can’t be done elsewhere.
6. Enabling Structures and Processes: High-performing teams have the necessary tools, resources, rhythms and processes to support their work. They operate within a framework that promotes efficiency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
7. Continuous Growth and Development: High-performing teams get stronger at both the individual and collective levels. They strive to continuously learn and improve and through time grow stronger, more effective and intuitive.

The Call to Action: Building High-Performing Teams

TEEM^™ is a powerful framework for building and sustaining high-performing teams. By focusing on these key components, leaders and teams can create an environment where everyone thrives and contributes to their full potential.

The journey to high performance is not always easy. It requires commitment, dedication, and a willingness to embrace vulnerability and change. The best teams have leaders who fundamentally believe this and the rewards are significant. High-performing teams are not only more productive and innovative, but they also create a more fulfilling and engaging work experience for their members.

As a leader, it is our responsibility to create the conditions for high performance. By investing your team’s development, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration, and providing the necessary support and resources, you can unlock the full potential of your team and achieve extraordinary results.

Remember, high-performing teams are not built overnight. Like with any sporting team or orchestra, it is an ongoing process that requires constant attention and effort. But by embracing the principles of TEEM^™ and committing to continuous improvement, you can create a team that is truly exceptional.

By Chris Corneil, Partner, ECI Partners

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