Archive
As more and more organizations move toward teams to accomplish work, the question continually arises: "How do you measure team performance?"
Jack Zigon, writing in Training (June 1994), recommends five keys to designing a measurement system that support and improve the performance of teams and their individual members:
The way measures are used to appraise team performance will depend on the team's location in the organizational structure. For example, a high-level management team might use measures that determine program effectiveness or the success of the organization's strategic plan, whereas teams at lower levels in the organization would be more concerned with measuring quality, cycle time, waste, or delivery.
Another factor to consider when setting up team measures is the type of team to be measured. A temporary, problem-solving team would probably want to measure results, such as the effectiveness of the solution they developed. On the other hand, a permanent work team will want to measure work processes as well as results. If work teams only measure results and they don't reach their goal, they won't know why. Measuring the work process will show the team where improvement can be made.
Helping teams establish effective measurements will provide them with the information they need to improve their performance. As Jack Zigon states, "Measuring team performance is difficult but not impossible. And it can pay off in better quality, shorter cycle times, and improved customer satisfaction."
Originally published on August 1994.