Our team-to-togetherness (t3) model for assessing high-performing teams (HPTs) is the result of a unique research project into what motivates people at work. This research, undertaken in Spring 2017, involved the participation of 325 employees (predominantly US/UK based and representative of gender and age distribution in the workplace).
The study (a detailed questionnaire – fed into a regression analysis) examined the degree to which membership of a HPT influences employee motivation and effort in relative comparison to other potential factors such as wages, contingent benefits and fixed-intrinsic traits.
The findings, reinforcing our observed intuitions, were profound; while the topic, and our work with clients is inherently human/social, it is founded on this empirical, research-based bedrock. Indeed, the science behind what we do can be summarised in this one equation (we often say it is “the most important equation a business leader need ever know”):
You don’t need to know (or memorise!) the numbers but understanding the substance of this finding is critical.
The dependent variable (E) concerns employee motivation and effort. The right-hand side (the independent variables) are what explains E; in ascending order of importance: IS (intellectually stimulating work), Y (intrinsic self-motivation – do your talent processes select for this?) and, pivotally, Z (membership of a HPT).
Our driving purpose is to help our clients improve their “Z scores”! This research also developed our six-attribute team-to-togetherness (t3) assessment model for measuring progress/maturity on the never-ending HPT-build journey.
It should be further noted that all of our subsequent work with clients, since 2017, has increased our data pool significantly and all such additional data (detailed employee surveys) has further reinforced the explanatory depth of this underlying equation/model.
Why is this important?
Well, if you have any professional concern whatsoever with respect to business or organizational performance you should, de facto, be concerned with optimizing employee performance and, manifestly, employee motivation and effort (E) has a major contributory role to play in driving employee performance.
Want to know more?
Download our Whitepaper which fully explains the research, its discoveries and provides pragmatic advice as to how to maximize such employee effort; an investment that, in turn, invariably begets increased levels of employee performance and organizational success.