Trust is clearly an essential foundation for effective teamwork. It is equally important, however, for the team to be in alignment on the direction in which it is going, and on the outcomes it is aiming to achieve.
These are indeed the two essential underlying factors determining team success: trust and alignment.
It may seem like common sense that team alignment is essential for
teamwork – yet there are so many teams that fail to achieve alignment. Why?
There are three key reasons why teams fail to achieve alignment:
- Team members do not understand what alignment really means.
- Teams do not focus on getting into alignment on the two most important things on which they need alignment: Purpose and Values.
- A lack of trust in the team prevents open, frank dialogue.
The Team Alignment Survey measures alignment in two sections:
- Team Alignment Report: measures the degree to which team members are in alignment on their Purpose, Values, Vision, Goals, Procedures and Roles.
- The Team Trust Report: measures the degree to which team members perceive the Elements of Trust™, and the values that support them, to be present in the team.