You might have heard the old saying, "There is no I in TEAM". Sometimes, each team member has to put aside his or her own needs in order to focus on the larger goals of the team.

Using Teamwork to Achieve Goals

It is important that your team use teamwork to reach their goals. They need to not only understand this, but also to be held accountable to it, which means they will need to be measured and evaluated from time to time to make sure they are living up to the cohesive standards you expect of them.

What is the best way to evaluate teamwork and appraise your team’s performance?

Maintain Accountability Within your Team

It’s the one in which you make team members accountable to each other.

Instead of rating each team member as an individual, rate them on a group basis. This forces them to keep each other accountable and helps you to get a better sense of the group dynamics.

If the team is working well, there aren’t likely to be any problems. But if all is not going smoothly, you will begin to hear rumblings about team members not pulling their weight or otherwise causing problems. In this case, it is in your best interest to find a way to bring people back to working together.

Problem Detection and Conflict Resolution

Sometimes it can help teamwork if you step in and speak with the problem member, but in order to stay consistent in your message, you might ask the group to work it out themselves.

This sends the message that no matter what, the team must work together. Suggest some teamwork strategies and methods, but insist that you will not be the one to ultimately make the decisions about who does what and how it gets done.

You can supplement your team assessment reports with individualised reports. This is particularly useful if there are rifts and conflicts between team members. This way you are able to give the high-producing team members the feedback and recognition they are looking for and deserve.

Maintaining Team Order

You may also find it valuable to ask each team member to perform a 360o Review.

During a 360o Review, each individual team member evaluates both their own performance as well as the performance of other members of the team. Make sure that you explain that these comparative evaluations are for educational purposes and that they need to refrain from judgments about personality and work style.

If for some reason you are required to conduct a team performance appraisal the following list of questions will help you begin the process.

• Does your team have clearly identified actionable steps to achieve its goals?

• Does your team monitor its progress using concrete milestones and KPIs?

• Does your team regularly and frequently assess how well they are working together?

• Are your team’s successes (both big and small) acknowledged?

• Is your team the right size, with the right mix of players for your purpose?

• Does your team have the flexibility to bring in people and change membership to suit the current project?

• Does your team have the right resources (money, time, people, authority)?

• Does your team meet regularly?

• Does your team have effective leadership?

• Do your team members understand their roles and are they able to carry them out effectively?

• Does your team have good networks and clear lines of communication with internal and external stakeholders and management?

• Does your team have useful meetings with clear identification of tasks?

• Does your team have effective ways of managing conflict?

• Is your team functioning in a way that people freely express ideas and share opinions?

• Does your team stay motivated?

• Do your team members collectively have all the skills required to do their work?