A new study by Crucial Learning, a provider of communication, performance and leadership courses and assessments, found that team performance hinges on one important factor—relationships.

According to the survey of 800 professionals, a team’s ability to perform well isn’t the result of how homogenous or how diverse team members are. It’s also not the size of the team, the type of team, or even what department the team sits in. What matters more to a team’s ability to perform well than any of these factors is how strong the relationships are between team members.

In fact, an analysis found that nearly half of what makes a team perform well (or poorly) can be linked to relationship factors like feeling understood, having a favorable opinion of others, and resolving interpersonal conflicts quickly. 

Researchers say the impact of this data helps solve the inherent challenge of teamwork.

“Teamwork is complicated. It doesn’t just require alignment of strategy and resources, it also requires getting people with different personalities, experiences and motives to work together,” says Justin Hale, Principal Consultant and designer of Crucial Learning’s new course, Crucial Teams. “And yet, when team performance struggles, many tinker with strategy rather than address relationships. This study sheds light on where to focus improvement efforts. When you and your teammates have a better understanding of each other, the team’s performance will improve. Strong relationships are the foundation of high-performing teams.”

Driving home the impact of relationships on performance, the survey found that having a team that assigns positive intentions to each other and communicates openly about differences has a tangible impact on various team performance outcomes. People who reported having these strong relationships factors also reported they:

• Waste less time and money than when these relationship factors aren’t present
• Adapt to change to stay competitive, improve efficiency and processes, and/or develop new products or services
• Have clear performance standards and expectations that everyone understands
• Report a higher quality of the team’s work
• Achieve team goals 
• Meet deadlines

And while improving relationships addresses team performance, ignoring personality conflict is affecting bottom lines. The study found that 50% of workers report spending two hours or more every week dealing with the effects of conflict on their team. Another 21% estimate a loss of $50,000 or more to the organization when they have to divert their time and effort to extended conflict resolution.  

To help teams improve performance, Hale offers four tips people can use to improve their relationships with their teammates. These tips come from Crucial Learning’s new course, Crucial Teams, a virtual and in-person learning experience designed for in-tact teams to help people turn personality differences from a source of friction into a source of strength. 

• Identify At-Risk Relationships: Think about the 3-5 relationships you have and the impact those relationships have on the results you care about. First, rate the quality of the relationship from 1 to 10. Then rate how impactful the quality of the relationship is to the results you care about. By doing this, you can more accurately understand which relationships need the most of your attention. Remember, a team is a collection of personalities held together—or torn apart—by the relationships among them.
• Mind Your Wake: There are behaviors we do that help us succeed, but sometimes we can overdo them. A strength can be a weakness when we do it too much or in the wrong contexts. For example, it can be good to be helpful until you’re smothering. Or to be quick-to-act unless it leads to being too rash. Consider the frequency, duration or intensity of your strengths to ensure they aren’t causing irritation to others. The most important way to reduce defensiveness in others is to eliminate offensiveness in yourself.
• Cultivate Curiosity to Build Respect: If you’re having conflict in a team relationship, try to understand the other person’s motivation. How might their behavior be helping them feel good about themselves? What is the most generous interpretation you can give? Ask them, “Why is this important to you?” “What do you care most about on this project?” The more the other person feels understood, the more respect you’ll build.
• Speak Their Language: Have the other person’s value system in mind when discussing a project together. Are they most concerned about the people involved? The process? The results? Small shifts in focus help them know you care, that you respect them, and that you value their unique contributions.

To learn more about Crucial Teams visit cruciallearning.com/courses/crucial-teams

About Crucial Learning: 
Crucial Learning combines social science research with innovative instructional design to offer flexible learning experiences that teach crucial behaviors that have a disproportionate impact on outcomes and solve life’s most stubborn problems. Our award-winning courses, assessments, and accompanying bestselling books include Crucial Conversations® for Mastering Dialogue, Crucial Conversations® for Accountability, Crucial Influence®, The Power of Habit™, Getting Things Done®, Crucial Teams®, and the Strength Deployment Inventory® (SDI®). They have helped millions achieve better relationships and results, and nearly half of the Forbes Global 2000 have drawn on these crucial behaviors to improve organizational health and performance. CrucialLearning.com