Teams are at the heart of every organization’s success, but not all teams perform at the same level. So, what makes a team successful, and what separates a good team from a great one?
In this article, we explore the science and practice behind team effectiveness, unpacking what makes a team work well, what defines a strong team, and how success in a team is shaped by communication, trust, diversity, and leadership.
What Makes a Team Successful?
If you’re looking to go deeper into turning team moments into lasting improvements, take a look at Mastering the Team Building Debrief: How to Turn Activities Into Growth.
A successful team is more than the sum of its parts. Research by Google’s Project Aristotle, which studied over 180 teams, found that psychological safety was the most critical factor for team success. Performance significantly improved in teams where members felt safe to take risks and express themselves without fear of embarrassment or punishment.
Psychological safety sets the stage for collaboration and innovation, two key ingredients in any high-functioning team. When individuals know their input is valued and mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, they engage more deeply and take ownership of their work.
In addition to psychological safety, research and practice point to five other critical elements that contribute to team success:
- Clear Goals and Roles: Every team member should know what the team’s objectives are and understand their role in achieving them. This alignment reduces confusion and fosters a sense of direction.
- Open and Honest Communication: High-performing teams don’t just talk frequently; they communicate, respectfully, and constructively. Open dialogue enables teams to resolve issues early and maintain alignment.
- Trust and Mutual Respect: Trust builds the social glue of a team. It allows members to rely on each other and share ideas without fear. Respect ensures that everyone feels valued, regardless of role or background.
- Shared Commitment to Outcomes: Success in a team depends on everyone being equally invested in the result. When team members are collectively committed to success, accountability and motivation rise naturally.
- Effective Conflict Resolution: Conflict isn’t inherently bad; diverse viewpoints can spark better decisions. But unresolved conflict is toxic. Successful teams face disagreements head-on, focusing on solutions rather than blame.
Together, these components form the foundation of what makes a strong team capable of sustained performance. They are not just checkboxes, but ongoing practices that require attention, reflection, and intentional cultivation.
What Makes a Good Team Work Well?
When thinking about what makes a team work well, it’s useful to consider the interaction patterns within the team. According to MIT’s Human Dynamics Lab, high-performing teams share three key traits:
- Equal contribution from members during discussions
- Energy in communication, with more face-to-face interactions
- High levels of connectivity between team members, not just with the team leader
These behavioral patterns are critical because they reflect a culture of inclusion, engagement, and mutual respect. Equal participation ensures that every voice is heard and valued, leading to better ideas and higher engagement. High-energy communication is a proxy for enthusiasm and emotional investment in the work being done. And when members connect with each other, not just through the team lead, a decentralized, more resilient form of collaboration emerges.
A good team that works well is one that doesn’t rely on a single individual but rather leverages the strengths of every member. The environment encourages proactive support, continuous feedback, and shared ownership of challenges and wins.
Key Characteristics of a Successful Team
1. Psychological Safety: As mentioned, this underpins risk-taking and innovation. Teams with high psychological safety are more likely to experiment, speak up, and learn from setbacks.
2. Clear Objectives: Team members need a shared understanding of goals and how to achieve them. Without this clarity, efforts become scattered, and motivation declines.
3. Role Clarity: Ambiguity kills productivity. When everyone knows their responsibilities and how they contribute to the whole, work flows more efficiently, and confusion is minimized.
4. Accountability: A successful team holds each other accountable, not just the leader. This mutual accountability fosters a sense of shared ownership and collective pride in outcomes.
5. Trust: Teams that trust each other are more cohesive and resilient. Trust enables open dialogue, honest feedback, and a sense of safety when addressing difficult topics.
6. Constructive Conflict: Disagreements are inevitable. High-functioning teams manage them productively by focusing on the issue, not the person. They see conflict as an opportunity to learn, not a threat.
These characteristics are not isolated traits but interdependent qualities that, when cultivated together, can dramatically enhance team cohesion and performance.
Why Is Communication So Important for Team Success?
Without communication, collaboration falls apart. It’s not just about talking more, it’s about the quality of communication. Active listening, nonverbal cues, and clarity in expressing ideas all contribute to a team’s cohesion.
A 2012 study in the Harvard Business Review showed that teams with the best communication patterns performed the best. Notably, these teams spoke and listened in roughly equal measure, maintained high levels of face-to-face communication, and engaged in side conversations to deepen understanding.
How Does Diversity Contribute to Team Success?
For more on creating synergy through collaboration, check out Workplace Collaboration: How to Build a More Connected and Productive Team.
Diverse teams bring a broader range of perspectives and problem-solving approaches. According to a study by McKinsey, companies with more diverse teams are 33% more likely to outperform their peers in profitability.
Diversity enhances creativity, helps prevent groupthink, and provides better insights into customer needs and global markets. A team that includes individuals from different cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds is more equipped to challenge assumptions and explore novel solutions.
But diversity alone isn’t enough, it needs to be accompanied by inclusion. That means every team member, regardless of background, feels heard, respected, and valued. Inclusion ensures that the benefits of diversity are fully realized by creating an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully. When inclusion is in place, teams can harness diversity to drive innovation and creativity.
What Role Does Leadership Play in a Successful Team?
Leadership sets the tone. A strong team is often a reflection of effective leadership that:
- Creates a clear vision
- Encourages autonomy and ownership
- Builds trust and psychological safety
- Facilitates healthy conflict resolution
Great leaders know how to balance direction with empowerment. They establish structure but give their teams room to experiment and grow. Rather than micromanaging, they coach, support, and remove roadblocks.
Leaders who adopt a servant leadership model, focusing on the growth and well-being of their team members, tend to create more cohesive and high-performing teams. These leaders prioritize team needs over ego and are skilled at building culture through empathy, listening, and transparency.pt a servant leadership model, focusing on the growth and well-being of their team members, they tend to create more cohesive and high-performing teams.
How Can Teams Build and Maintain Trust?
Want more on navigating tension within distributed teams? Read How to Handle Conflicts in Remote Teams — And Can Team Building Actually Help?.
Trust isn’t automatic. It’s built through consistent, transparent actions over time:
- Deliver on commitments
- Acknowledge mistakes
- Give and receive feedback openly
- Respect confidentiality
Trust is reinforced when actions align with words. It deepens through everyday moments: showing appreciation, admitting errors, and helping a teammate without being asked.
Regular check-ins, team retrospectives, and social connection outside of work tasks also help maintain trust. Informal conversations and shared experiences humanize team members and make trust more durable.