Putting together a world-class team

This article, based on the authors' book World-Class Teams, describes real- life examples of successful global teams. One key is setting what the autho rs call SMART goals: They must be specific, measurable, action-oriented, re alistic, and time-bound. A primary factor that distinguishes a world-class team from a work group is that a world-class team is committed to and accountable for high performan ce and achieving a common set of goals. Those are critical to the team's su ccess and to a process created by the authors called the Team Development S ystem for World-Class Teams. It addresses the unique challenges of working in global cross-functional or cross-cultural teams, such as different langu ages, time zones, and work methods. The major steps in setting the appropriate goals are to establish the team' s driving goal (the one to which the most time and resources should be allo cated), to set no more than 10 priority goals for the year, and to create a n accountability matrix. The matrix designates each team member's, includin g the team leader's, roles and responsibilities. Every team member takes re sponsibility for one goal and acts as a leader in getting the whole team to achieve it. The article also emphasizes the importance of measuring team outcomes, thou ght the authors concede that it's difficult to measure the work of knowledg e workers, who typically make up world-class teams. The authors tell how to adapt Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model to use in measuring the re sults of world-class teams. The article concludes with an example of a formal learning exchange at a co nference of world-class teams held recently.