How to Create More Team Interdependence for Higher Performance

Team Interdependence for Higher Performance: How to Foster Collaboration
Many leaders assume that assembling a team of high performers will naturally produce high performance. It rarely works that way.

Just look at the 2023 Mets, Yankees, Padres, and Angels. Despite having four of Major League Baseball’s highest payrolls and rosters filled with All-Stars, none reached the playoffs. Individual talent alone did not translate into collective success.

Research reaches the same conclusion in organizations. Teams outperform individuals only when the work requires people to coordinate:

• Knowledge.
• Decisions.
• Execution.

Research by Google’s Project Aristotle found that the highest-performing teams were distinguished less by individual talent than by how members worked together, especially psychological safety, dependability, structure, meaning, and impact.

Harvard professor J. Richard Hackman concluded after decades of research that team effectiveness depends more on the conditions surrounding the team than on the personalities within it.

Team interdependence for higher performance is not about asking people to work together more often. It is about creating the conditions where collaboration produces better results than independent effort.

Building that kind of team requires more than good intentions. It requires trust, shared goals, complementary roles, capable leadership, and a culture that rewards collective success.

First Things First: Are We a Team or a Working Group?
The first question to ask is are we (and do we need to be) a team to best achieve our objectives?  This is important because teams come in varied sizes and shapes; one approach is not right for every team — there are simply different approaches to achieving results based upon how the work needs to get done.

Regardless of approach, all groups operate in a context about their shared fate based upon how necessary, willing, able, and dependable they believe those around them to be.

• You are a Team if…
  A true team exists when people must coordinate expertise, decisions, resources, or work products to achieve outcomes that no individual could accomplish alone. Teams outperform individuals when performance requires multiple skills, judgments, and experiences.  Effective teams have high levels of interdependence where team members integrate their efforts and expertise with others to achieve a cohesive outcome.

  In a high-functioning interdependent team, members not only share responsibilities but also actively support each other’s growth and success.  Examples include basketball, rugby, soccer, and football teams.

• You are a Working Group if…
  It is important to recognize that not all groups need to be teams to succeed. If no collective work product beyond the sum of their independent tasks and individual accomplishments is required for success, then being a working group is sufficient.  Effective working groups have high levels of independence and individual accountability.

  Working group members focus on their individual tasks with limited need for interaction to be successful.  Examples of working groups include swim, golf, wrestling, and gymnastic teams.

The Top 8 Warning Signs — Why People May Resist Team Interdependence for Higher Performance

Change management simulation participants learn that shifting from a working group to a truly interdependent team is a significant organizational change. While the benefits can be substantial, people often resist becoming more dependent on one another for understandable reasons. Recognizing these barriers early allows leaders to address them before they undermine collaboration and performance.

1. Lack of Trust
   Trust is the foundation of team interdependence. Without psychological team safety, people hesitate to ask for help, share ideas, admit mistakes, or rely on others to deliver. Poor communication, conflicting priorities, inconsistent leadership, and workplace politics can quickly erode trust and make collaboration feel risky rather than rewarding.

   Ask yourself: Do team members trust one another enough to rely on each other when the stakes are high?

2. Fear of Failure
   Relying on others can feel like giving up control. Project postmortem data consistently shows that people resist teamwork when they believe their own success depends on factors outside their control. If collaboration increases perceived risk or threatens individual performance, people naturally revert to working independently.

   Ask yourself: Does working as a team increase or decrease the perceived risk of individual failure?

3. Lack of Alignment
   Our organizational alignment research found that strategic clarity and cultural alignment account for 71% of the difference between high- and low-performing teams. Team members must understand why the team exists, what success looks like, and how each person’s contributions fit into the bigger picture. Without shared purpose and priorities, collaboration becomes inefficient and frustrating.

   Ask yourself: Is everyone aligned around the same goals, priorities, and definition of success?

4. Reluctance to Let Go of the Past
   Moving from independent work to team-based collaboration requires people to leave behind familiar ways of working. Even positive change involves loss. Team members may worry about losing autonomy, status, influence, expertise, relationships, or established routines. Unless leaders acknowledge and manage these concerns, resistance is likely.

   Ask yourself: Have you addressed what people feel they are giving up as the team evolves?

5. Resistance to Change
   Interdependence requires new habits, behaviors, and mindsets. If people do not believe the status quo needs to change — or if the benefits of collaboration are unclear — they are unlikely to embrace new ways of working. Successful transitions require a compelling business case for change supported by consistent reinforcement and accountability.

   Ask yourself: Do people understand why greater collaboration is necessary and worth the effort?

6. Individual Priorities Override Team Success
   We know from organizational culture assessment findings that being an effective team member is a choice. When individual goals, incentives, or recognition outweigh collective success, collaboration suffers. High performing teams balance personal accountability with a shared commitment to achieving outcomes that benefit everyone.

   Ask yourself: Are individual incentives encouraging collaboration or rewarding people for working alone?

7. Weak Team Leadership
   We know from leadership simulation assessment data that interdependent teams do not happen by accident. Leaders must establish clear goals, define roles, facilitate effective decision making, resolve conflict, and create an environment where people feel safe to contribute. Without these leadership capabilities, even talented teams struggle to work together effectively.

   Ask yourself: Do your leaders have the skills to create the conditions where teamwork can thrive?

8. Poor Team Design
   Even the best intentions cannot overcome poor team composition. Effective teams require the right mix of skills, experience, perspectives, and working styles. They also need clear roles, manageable workloads, and processes that encourage collaboration rather than competition. Without thoughtful team design, interdependence becomes a source of frustration instead of higher performance.

   Ask yourself: Does your team have the right people, roles, and structure to accomplish its shared objectives?

Team Interdependence for Higher Performance: 6 Proven Steps to Move from Independence to Interdependence
If achieving your objectives requires people to depend on one another, team interdependence should not be left to chance. Helping individuals shift from independent, siloed work to collaborative team performance is a significant organizational change that requires intentional leadership, clear expectations, and consistent reinforcement.

The following six practices create the conditions where team interdependence can thrive.

1. Align Around Clear, Shared Goals
   Ambiguity is the enemy of team performance. Interdependence begins with a shared understanding of what the team is trying to accomplish and why it matters. Define goals and accountabilities that are clear, meaningful, measurable, and aligned with organizational priorities so that everyone understands not only what success looks like but also how individual contributions fit into the bigger picture.

   You are on the right path when every team member understands the team’s priorities, knows what is expected of them, and recognizes how their success depends upon the success of others.

2. Build a Culture of Trust and Psychological Safety
   Research consistently shows that psychological team safety and trust are the foundation of high-performing teams. Without it, people hesitate to ask for help, share ideas, challenge assumptions, or admit mistakes. Leaders must create an environment where open communication, respectful debate, and constructive feedback are expected rather than avoided.

   Trust grows through consistent actions, shared experiences, and reliable follow-through.

   You are on the right path when team members freely exchange information, seek input from one another, and feel comfortable asking for and offering help without fear of judgment.

3. Design Work That Requires Collaboration
   Interdependence should be built into how work gets done. Define complementary roles, clarify decision rights, and establish workflows that leverage each person’s unique expertise. Whenever possible, cross-train employees so they better understand one another’s responsibilities, constraints, and contributions.

   When work is intentionally designed for collaboration, people begin to view teammates as essential partners rather than obstacles or competitors.

   You are on the right path when team members actively coordinate their efforts, appreciate one another’s strengths, and focus on collective outcomes rather than individual accomplishments.

4. Develop Strong Teaming Capabilities
   Effective teamwork requires more than good intentions. Team members need the skills to communicate clearly, resolve conflict constructively, make sound decisions, solve problems collaboratively, manage change, facilitate productive meetings, and hold one another accountable.

   Conduct a training needs assessment to identify capability gaps, then provide targeted development that supports both individual and team performance.

   You are on the right path when people consistently demonstrate the skills needed to collaborate effectively and confidently rely on one another to deliver high-quality work.

5. Create a Culture of Mutual Accountability
   High-performing teams hold themselves accountable for both individual responsibilities and collective results. Establish clear performance expectations, define team norms, regularly review progress, and encourage candid conversations when commitments are not met.

   A culture of accountability shifts the focus from assigning blame to solving problems together and continuously improving performance.

   You are on the right path when everyone knows where the team stands, commitments are consistently honored, and performance issues are addressed quickly and constructively.

6. Model Interdependence Through Leadership
   Leaders set the standard for how teams work together. By seeking diverse perspectives, collaborating across functions, sharing information openly, recognizing collaborative behaviors, and demonstrating humility, leaders reinforce the behaviors they expect from others.

   People pay far more attention to what leaders consistently do than what they occasionally say.

   You are on the right path when leaders consistently model collaborative behaviors and team members trust them to create an environment where everyone can contribute and succeed.

The Bottom Line
Team interdependence for higher performance is not about encouraging people to collaborate more. It is about intentionally designing work, leadership, goals, and accountability so that people achieve better results together than they could independently. When organizations build trust, align around shared objectives, develop teaming capabilities, and reinforce collective accountability, collaboration becomes a competitive advantage that consistently improves execution, innovation, and business performance.

Ready to strengthen collaboration, accountability, and execution? Download the Research-Backed Team Charter Template for High-Performing Teams and start building a more aligned, interdependent team.

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.