Collective performance refers to the ability of a group to achieve its objectives and results in an effective and efficient manner. It can be measured in different ways, depending on the objectives set by the organization and its areas of activity. For example, collective performance can be measured in terms of productivity, service quality, customer satisfaction or financial profitability.
To improve collective performance, it is important to establish effective coordination and communication mechanisms within the group, to ensure that everyone has the skills and knowledge necessary to fulfill their mission, and to foster a learning and inclusive work culture.
Let’s take a concrete look at how to evaluate and boost the performance of your team.
How to calculate your team’s performance?
To calculate this performance, let’s look at the state of the art. J. Richard Hackman, a pioneer in research on the conditions of collective effectiveness, emphasizes in his research the importance of “favorable conditions” to establish collective performance.
Harvard University has completed the theoretical elements, to define 7 calculation criteria:
- The Meaning of Work
- Interpersonal Communication
- Relevant Processes
- Daily commitment
- Benevolence
- Accountability
- The sense of belonging
After 2 years of radical managerial changes, evaluating collective efficiency allows us to look to the future with serenity. Efficiency and motivation are closely linked: we suggest you test your efficiency with a“ready-to-use tool“. You will receive your results within 30 minutes, along with our recommendations for capitalizing on your strengths.
How to boost team performance?
To boost collective performance, it is necessary to use modern goal-setting and management models: the OKRs and their “SMART” dimension.
Using the OKRs goal-setting model
What is the OKR method?
The Objective Key Results method was developed in the 70s by Andy Grove at Intel. This method of managing objectives spread rapidly in Silicon Valley and was adopted by many technology companies. Today, it is used by organizations of all sizes and in all sectors, because it is flexible, adaptable and effective.
OKRs were also popularized by John Doerr, a venture capitalist who worked with Grove at Intel. Doerr introduced the OKR method to many other Silicon Valley companies, including Google, where it is now widely used to set goals and measure results.
Imagine that each member of your team has an internal compass that points to a distant destination.
OKRs are the roadmaps guiding you to your destination.
By using this methodology, you can help your team focus on the most important objectives, measure progress and celebrate success.
OKRs advantages.
Through our “Performance and Commitment” platform, we combine 4 assets:
- Align performance objectives at each level of the organization; from corporate objectives (2-3 years) to the employee (quarterly or semi-annually), to the department and to the teams (same perspective as the employee).
- Speaking the same language within the organization, with similar measurement indicators, facilitates collaboration in achieving objectives. OKRs are public within the company, which also contributes to the desired transparency.
- Strengthen the commitment of employees, who understand the immediate impact of their contribution to the collective objectives.
- Nurture an agile culture. This form of performance management echoes the agile methods of IT projects. Based on short cycles, it can be quickly analyzed and revised according to the situation. This model must nevertheless be combined with a medium-term vision of the organization.
Let’s take an example:
Marketing team objective: the creation of 620 leads over a sliding year
Potential Key Results are:
- Increase the number of linkedin followers from 4000 to 6000 professionals in the sector
- Grow from 2,500 active monthly visitors to 3,500
- Increase the number of premium articles distributed and promoted from 2 to 6 per month
The art of setting SMART goals
Let’s go back to the notion of S.M.A.R.T. for a moment:
This model of goal setting, on which most companies rely, is applicable at both the individual and collective levels.
44% of employees say they do not know even one of the company’s strategic objectives…
The figures from the Gallup study speak for themselves, demonstrating the need for consultation and communication on this key issue.
The 5 key success factors of goal setting:
- Limit the number of objectives to 5 and associate 3 Key Results on average.
- Having access to benchmarks, getting an NPS of 40 is probably good, but where do we start from?
- Identify what the expected results are.
- Set a motivating result to achieve. When employees regularly reach 100% this results in a decrease in motivation. At Google the threshold is set at 70%.
- Give your employees and managers the habit of reviewing the achievement on a very regular basis. Only this ritual, supported by an interactive tool, will make the desired agility a reality.
Engage employees in goal setting
The correlation between employee engagement and performance is now proven. According to Gallup, companies with high engagement rates see a 10% improvement in customer experience and a 20% increase in sales. Not all companies are equal when it comes to the disengagement phenomenon experienced today. The strings of compensation and profits no longer work.
In this context, what levers should be used to encourage employee fulfillment and commitment?
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to include the company in QWL (Quality of Life at Work) or CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives. For the past 10 years, this dimension has prevailed over salary in the motivations of employees to choose a company. 55% of all employees put it forward as the number one issue, a figure that even reaches 76% among Millenials according to a Cone Communications, CSR Study.
Various HR actors put forward common sense elements that you can find in our article “Employees and the management of their skills“:
- Continuous recognition, feedback
- The transparency with which the organization communicates
- Aligning managers’ behavior with the company’s values
- Supporting employees in understanding their desires and skills, associated with a dedicated development plan.
- Uniting teams around solidarity projects stimulates teams. Putting their skills to work on projects in parallel with their central role gives meaning to their missions…
Conclude on team performance
Your appropriation of the tools mentioned in this article will guarantee your success. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, but rather to choose concrete tools that make sense with the management philosophy you wish to spread.
The relationship between teams and their managers has evolved, we suggest you also take inspiration from our article on individual performance measurement to get an overview.
If you haven’t already done a diagnosis of your team’s efficiency, now is the time to do it with our free tool.
