High Performing Teams: Top 7 Characteristics

The 7 Characteristics of High Performing Teams: What Truly Sets Them Apart
Top companies know that executing critical strategic initiatives relies on cross-functional, empowered, and high-performing teams. Yet, recent McKinsey research reveals a stark reality: 75% of cross-functional teams fail to meet expectations. Insights from project postmortem data make one thing clear — high team effectiveness is never accidental. Leaders who actively cultivate and reinforce the hallmarks of high performing teams consistently outperform their peers, turning collaboration into measurable results.

High Performing Teams: What The Research Says

Research by Atlassian found that most teams are struggling to be high functioning and high performing.

• Productivity Could Double
  93% of executives believe teams could deliver similar outcomes in half the time if they collaborated more effectively.  This makes sense as teams themselves report that only 24% of time is spent on mission-critical work.
• Unclear Goals
  70% of employees say progress would be easier with fewer, sharper strategic priorities.
• Ineffective Meetings
  Teams spend 50% more time in unnecessary meetings instead of making progress on high-priority work.

Defining High Performing Teams
We know from action learning leadership development programs that high performing teams excel in three areas:

• Desired Results
  They consistently deliver on agreed upon objectives in a way that aligns with organizational priorities and stakeholders needs.
• Efficient and Aligned Processes
  They purposefully use their time, efforts, and resources productively to maximize efficiency, commit to decisions, adapt to change, and move work forward in a way that makes sense.
• Healthy and Aligned Relationships
  They go the extra mile to have high quality, trusting, collaborative, respectful, transparent, and constructive interactions within the team and with all key stakeholders.

The 7 Characteristics of High Performing Teams
High performing teams exhibit distinct traits that consistently drive superior results. For leaders seeking to unlock their organization’s full potential, understanding what differentiates these teams is the difference between ordinary collaboration and extraordinary performance.

1. Clear, Meaningful, and Shared Purpose
   Our organizational alignment research shows that strategic clarity explains 31% of the performance gap between high- and low-performing teams across revenue growth, profitability, customer satisfaction, leadership effectiveness, and employee engagement. Every high-performing team starts with a well-defined purpose — a clear answer to why the team exists, what it aims to achieve, and how success will be measured.

   Corporate culture assessment data consistently confirms that a shared team purpose drives alignment. It gives work meaning, fuels intrinsic motivation, and serves as a unifying force, particularly during periods of change. Without this clarity, teams drift into silos, and individual agendas begin to erode collective performance.

   Ask yourself: do your people consistently prioritize team success over individual gain?

2. Psychological Team Safety
   Harvard professor Amy Edmondson coined the term psychological safety to describe a team culture where members feel secure speaking up, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and challenging assumptions without fear of ridicule or retribution.

   High performing teams understand that innovation and engagement flourish when candor is encouraged. They actively cultivate trust, embrace diverse perspectives, and normalize honesty and vulnerability. When team members are free from self-censorship, the group benefits from richer ideas, more constructive feedback, and stronger collaboration.

   Ask yourself: do your people feel they belong to a team where they can truly be themselves?

3. Role Clarity and Complementary Strengths
   Role clarity goes far beyond job titles — it’s about understanding who owns what, how decisions are made, and where to turn for support. High performing teams reduce confusion by clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and interdependent workflows, ensuring everyone knows their contribution matters and how it connects to the team’s success.

   Equally important is leveraging complementary strengths. Top teams intentionally bring together diverse skill sets and working styles, creating a team structure where members understand, respect, and amplify each other’s contributions. In these teams, interdependence becomes a force multiplier rather than a source of friction, turning collaboration into measurable performance gains.

   Ask yourself: do you have the right people in the right roles to fully leverage each other’s strengths?

4. Constructive Conflict and Healthy Debate
   High performing teams don’t shy away from conflict — they engage in healthy debate deliberately and intelligently. They welcome diverse perspectives, openly challenge ideas, and frame disagreement as a vital driver of better decisions, innovation, and collective buy-in rather than a sign of dysfunction.

   The quality of the conflict is what matters most. Top teams keep discussions data-driven, future-focused, and grounded in mutual respect. Rather than defaulting to easy consensus or deferring to authority, they surface tensions early, weigh tradeoffs openly, and make critical decisions that serve both the people and the business.

   Ask yourself: do your teams engage in enough constructive debate to build true commitment and alignment?

5. Strong Cadence of Accountability
   On high performing teams, accountability is driven by peers, not just managers. Underperformance is addressed constructively, outstanding contributions are recognized and rewarded, and mutual responsibility for meeting performance standards is expected. This is enabled by clear metrics, real-time feedback, and a culture of ownership — where expectations are ambitious yet achievable through collective effort.

   Team members take responsibility not only for their own work but also for the team’s overall outcomes. This shared sense of commitment and dependability is a hallmark of sustainable, high-performing teams.

   Ask yourself: do your people hold one another accountable to delivering on their commitments?

6. Continuous Learning and Adaptation
   High performing teams never settle for “good enough.” Insights from change management simulation data show that these teams consistently reflect on their work through retrospectives, after-action reviews, and careful analysis of performance data. Continuous improvement is embedded in how they operate.

   Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, feedback is acted on quickly, and teams embrace change proactively when strategic pivots are needed. Adaptability and a growth mindset become the norm, not the exception.

7. Team Cohesion Without Groupthink
   High performing teams are tightly connected and rely on one another — yet they avoid the trap of conformity. They establish clear norms that promote open communication, empower high-quality decision-making, and enhance collaborative practices. Cohesion grows through shared experiences, trust, and intentional rituals, but these teams deliberately counteract groupthink by fostering constructive debate and critical inquiry.

   Healthy teams strike a balance between alignment and autonomy. They don’t just move in the same direction; they ensure every step forward is intentional and collectively supported.

   Ask yourself: does your team maintain the right level of creative tension to drive innovation and alignment?

The Bottom Line
High performing teams aren’t accidental — they are deliberately cultivated and consistently reinforced. Success requires a high performance culture that fosters clarity, trust, accountability, autonomy, and adaptability. Leaders who intentionally design this environment empower teams to collaborate effectively, innovate, and deliver exceptional results. Ask yourself: are you creating the conditions for your teams to achieve their full potential?

To learn more about taking your teams to the next level, download this Research-backed Team Charter for Success

by Tristam Brown: CEO

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.