How great companies turn ordinary teams into superb ones

[WORLD] In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations are increasingly recognizing that the key to sustained success lies in cultivating extraordinary teams. Elite organizations are not just assembling skilled individuals; they are strategically transforming good teams into high-performing powerhouses. This transformation involves fostering psychological safety, embracing innovation, promoting continuous learning, and leveraging shared leadership.

Establishing Psychological Safety

At the heart of high-performing teams is psychological safety—the belief that one will not be humiliated or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Google's Project Aristotle identified psychological safety as the most important factor in team effectiveness. Organizations like Google have implemented practices such as open communication, regular feedback, and fostering a culture of mutual respect to create an environment where team members feel safe to take risks and speak up without fear of negative consequences.

Recent research from Harvard Business School supports this notion, highlighting that teams with high psychological safety are more likely to harness the benefits of diversity and inclusion. When individuals from varied backgrounds feel empowered to contribute, it leads to more creative problem-solving and robust decision-making processes. This not only enhances team outcomes but also contributes to a more equitable and engaging workplace.

Embracing Innovation and Risk-Taking

Innovation thrives in environments where risk-taking is encouraged and failure is viewed as a learning opportunity. Elite organizations foster a culture where team members feel secure enough to venture into uncharted territories, express vulnerability with new and unproven ideas, and are recognized for it. Celebrating setbacks as part of the journey propels a continuous quest for improvement and development.

Startups and tech incubators have long embraced this philosophy, often rewarding experiments and pilot projects even when they do not yield immediate success. For example, companies like Amazon encourage a “fail fast” mentality through initiatives such as internal innovation labs, where employees can test bold ideas in low-risk environments. This strategic tolerance for failure has been credited with driving some of the company’s most successful product innovations.

Promoting Continuous Learning and Development

High-performing teams continually evolve and adapt, seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. Leaders nurture a learning culture within their teams by offering opportunities for development and fostering an environment that values knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. This includes setting clear development goals, providing learning opportunities, and celebrating learning achievements.

Industry leaders like Microsoft have invested heavily in upskilling initiatives, including digital learning platforms and AI-driven training tools. These efforts are aligned with a broader organizational pivot toward a growth mindset—a concept popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck. This mindset emphasizes the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, reinforcing the importance of learning as a pathway to excellence.

Leveraging Shared Leadership

Shared leadership is a style that broadly distributes leadership responsibility, allowing people within a team and organization to lead each other. This approach has been found to positively impact team effectiveness by increasing team confidence and performance. Shared leadership contributes to performance by empowering team members through perceived responsibility and self-control, resulting in more engagement, cohesion, trust, and satisfaction.

One notable example is the U.S. Navy SEALs, where shared leadership is embedded into operational protocol. Every team member is trained to step into a leadership role when needed, ensuring agility and resilience in high-stakes environments. Corporate teams have adapted this model in leadership training programs to promote adaptability and empower team-wide accountability.

Utilizing Emotional Intelligence Metrics

Organizations are increasingly tapping into the emotive undercurrents of their teams through data-driven analytics. Studies have shown that leaders who harness emotional intelligence are more effective in their roles. Companies like Google have utilized tools like Project Aristotle to measure emotional intelligence, revealing that psychological safety, fostered by emotional awareness, is a key ingredient for high-performing teams.

Transforming a good team into an extraordinary one requires intentional strategies that focus on psychological safety, innovation, continuous learning, shared leadership, and emotional intelligence. Elite organizations understand that these elements are not just buzzwords but essential components of a thriving team culture. By implementing these practices, organizations can unlock the full potential of their teams, driving sustained success and innovation.