Leadership in high-performance teams: a model for superior team performance

Purpose - Aims to explore how high performing teams create exponential growth. Design/methodology/approach - Characteristics of the market within which the high-performance team operated are described as accelerated change (high velocity) and knowledge creation (innovation and research). These characteristics more often than not describe characteristics of firms operating in the global enterprise system. The opinions and experiences expressed are articulated so that others who wish to emulate significant levels of performance have a roadmap to such success. Findings - Conditions for success across a wide range of organizational principles, actions and philosophies are articulated and highlight the systems orientation of high performance. Organizations who wish for accelerated growth, resilience and change will be introduced to a series of techniques which, when applied, create understanding required for swift action in high velocity, global markets. The viewpoint is grounded in actual experience and the understanding of a leader who led through team leaders for superior outcomes. A model of leadership activities, actions, principles and philosophies required to gain this superior performance is shared. Practical implications - The article is particularly relevant to practicing leaders in knowledge industries characterized by transaction and innovation speed, as well as the accompanying change that often follows innovation. Application will also be highly relevant to those leaders who lead highly proficient knowledge workers, as the model creates understanding of the organizational conditions necessary to unleash the full potential of these employees. Originality/value - Practitioners will find the information in the article very useful in helping to focus on day to day operations and the relevant view things which create dynamic results.