Organizations seek to hire and develop highly talented individuals to help them meet their goals and grow.
It may be easy to assume that putting together a team of skilled individuals will automatically produce strong results. However, it’s not a guarantee. In reality, even teams made up entirely of high performers can experience friction, slow decision-making and stalled innovation.
The difference between teams that succeed and those that struggle rarely comes down to talent. It is how that talent interacts, aligns and connects within their team and the wider organization.
While demonstrating strong, proven expertise in one’s role is essential, team success relies on a different set of capabilities. Team members need to be able to collaborate effectively, influence others, communicate with clarity, resolve conflict and manage interdependencies. These power skills are increasingly important, and without them, even highly talented teams can struggle to succeed.
The operational impact of work-style differences
Teams can face challenges simply because everyone approaches work differently. Variations in work styles can manifest in planning and organization, decision-making speed and follow-through, communication style and preferred levels of collaboration. These differences are natural, but when team members aren’t aware of them, they have the potential to cause friction.
It can be easy for an individual to assume that others approach work the same way they do. Unfortunately, this bias can lead to misaligned expectations or unspoken frustration, which often becomes visible only when things start to go wrong. With greater awareness of individual work styles, teams can leverage their similarities and differences to collaborate more effectively and improve team dynamics.
This is where work style assessments can help. The GlobeSmart® Profile is one such tool that provides an accessible framework for understanding individual work styles and how they interact within a team. It offers a shared language for teams to build alignment, identify opportunities for new solutions, anticipate sources of friction and adjust behaviors before challenges arise.
Processes that enable performance
When leaders understand how their team members approach work, they can adjust existing processes and introduce new ones that help the team work more smoothly. Insight into how people make decisions, organize tasks and communicate allows leaders to clarify responsibilities and prevent small inefficiencies from slowing progress.
High-performing teams rely on consistent practices that keep work aligned without constraining individual strengths. Project management tools like a RACI chart can help clarify task ownership, while milestone tracking, approval steps and shared documentation help teams stay on track. At the same time, the most effective teams remain flexible enough to allow for different approaches to the same task, provided the quality of the end result remains the same.
Regular check-ins and clear verbal and written communication also help to ensure everyone knows what’s expected and when to contribute. Strong team leaders actively monitor how these practices work in real time. When bottlenecks or misunderstandings appear, they refine workflows, add steps where needed and coach the team on adopting new approaches.
Enabling connection within teams and across functions
Teams thrive with a clear rhythm of interaction that balances independent work and collaborative problem-solving. Leaders set the meeting cadence, deciding when brief check-ins are enough, when deeper discussions are needed and when group input is essential. This structure gives the team a shared framework while leaving room for individual approaches to collaboration.
Some people prefer to focus strictly on professional interactions, while others build trust through personal connection. Cultural background often shapes these preferences, and when teammates can exercise cultural agility and flex their style when working with others, collaboration becomes smoother, more authentic and more productive. After all, 91 percent of employees who feel they belong at work are engaged, compared with only 20 percent who do not, according to data from Qualtrics.
This is important in cross-functional contexts as well. There’s an even greater chance for miscommunication, misalignment and lack of connection. Harvard Business Review argues that strong collaboration requires “bridgers,” or leaders who excel at collaborating across boundaries. Bridgers leverage emotional and contextual intelligence to build trust, connect perspectives and advance initiatives. They help diverse viewpoints contribute to innovation rather than becoming sources of friction.
How can organizations develop bridgers?
It starts with awareness of work styles and continues as team members implement strategies to leverage their similarities and differences. Active listening, gathering different perspectives, adapting communication styles, translating ideas across cultural and functional boundaries — all of these skills are important for strong team performance.
Organizations that support individuals and teams in developing these skills create a culture where collaboration thrives. Teams work well together, decisions are made more efficiently and diverse perspectives drive innovation.
Tools like the industry-leading GlobeSmart Profile and Team Dynamics help teams understand work styles and how they interact in team settings. Learn more about how Aperian can support your organizational growth, and reach out to the Aperian team to discuss developing high-performing teams at your organization.
