Improve Teamwork as a Manager in 3 Research-Backed Steps

Improving Team Performance Pays Dividends
Organizational culture assessments show that nearly all meaningful business outcomes are achieved through teams. Yet even high functioning teams can fall into unproductive patterns — focusing on immediate issues at the expense of long-term goals, or holding meetings that consume time without generating value. The potential payoff for leaders who can improve teamwork as a manager and elevate team effectiveness is substantial: Bain’s study of over 1,000 companies found that organizations with strong teamwork practices are up to six times more likely to outperform competitors.

What It Takes to Improve Teamwork as a Manager

People manager assessment data highlights improving teamwork as a manager starts with discerning which issues truly deserve the team’s attention. Equally important is the discipline to guide how the team engages — how members interact, collaborate, and make decisions together. A team’s performance depends not only on what they accomplish but also on how they work together. The most effective managers focus on both, shaping the process as carefully as the outcomes.

3 Research-Backed Ingredients to Improve Teamwork as a Manager
Here are three aspects of team interaction that are indicative of a high performing team. Do your managers have the confidence, competence, and motivation to:

1. Build High Levels of Team Trust
   Trust is the backbone of every effective team. To trust a teammate is to know you can rely on them — that they will follow through, deliver on commitments, and contribute their full capability. High-trust teams operate with confidence in one another, reducing the need for oversight and creating space for authentic collaboration.
   
   When trust underpins team interactions, teamwork runs smoothly. Members feel safe to speak up, voice disagreement, and share ideas, knowing they will be heard with respect. They recognize their individual value and embrace diverse perspectives, understanding how each contributes to stronger outcomes.
   
   Ask yourself: does your team have the psychological safety and trust needed to achieve high performance?
   
   
2. Foster Strategic Alignment and Commitment
   Our research on organizational alignment shows that strategic clarity explains 31% of the difference between high- and low-performing teams. When team members clearly understand and believe in the strategic direction, they demonstrate greater personal and professional commitment to achieving it.
   
   Teams with high alignment and commitment operate with clear, shared goals, defined accountabilities, well-understood roles, agreed-upon norms, and streamlined processes — foundational elements of high performance.
   
   Ask yourself: do your managers have the skills to build truly aligned, high-performing teams?
3. Ensure a “Greater Reason Why”
   In our new manager training programs, participants consistently cite their most memorable team experiences as those driven by a meaningful purpose. The teams that stand out are focused on a greater good — looking beyond individual interests to achieve collective success.
   
   Top team leaders make that purpose clear, giving team members a strong line of sight to what truly matters.
   
   Ask yourself: are your managers helping their teams see and connect to the outcomes that make their work meaningful?

The Bottom Line
Ultimately, team success depends less on individual members and more on how the team collaborates, communicates, and performs together. Teams that consistently demonstrate trust, alignment, and a compelling purpose give both their people and their organizations a measurable advantage. Ask yourself: are your managers creating the conditions that allow teams to thrive?

To learn more about how to improve teamwork as a manager, download this Sample Team Charter Template