10 Best Team Effectiveness Models For Agency Teams

The mark of all great teams is that they are more than the sum of their parts. That is why it’s frustrating when you know your agency team has all the right ingredients to succeed, but it still underperforms.

If this resonates with you, you are not alone!

According to research, $8.9 trillion is lost in global GDP due to low employee engagement in the workplace. That’s a staggering and somewhat disheartening statistic, especially if you have gone the extra mile to provide your team with the necessary tools, resources, and training they need to be effective.

So what’s the solution? Implementing a team effectiveness model that enables you to harness your team's potential and skills and increase their productivity and growth. Keep on reading as we get into the whats, whys, and hows of team effectiveness models for agency teams.

What is a Team Effectiveness Model?

Let’s start by defining team effectiveness first. Team effectiveness is your team’s ability to achieve its goals over time, and how good they are at reaching those goals.

As for the team effectiveness model, it is a tool or a structured framework that enables businesses, agencies, and leaders to gauge how well their teams are doing, and how they can improve their productivity, team dynamics, collaboration, and their overall performance.

Team effectiveness models analyze a number of crucial factors, processes, and behaviors that impact team performance and dynamics. As a leader, you can use these models to build, understand, and run teams and improve their goal-achieving abilities, as well as strengthen the bonds inside the team itself.

What is preventing your team from being more effective? What do your team members need to work better individually and with each other? What is the reason for their dysfunction?

If you keep on asking yourself any of these questions, choosing the right team effectiveness model can provide you with the answers. We will explain each one, so you get a better understanding of which exact model would work best for your team.

Before we get into the details of each team effectiveness model, let’s take a quick look at why team effectiveness is so important for agency teams.

Why Team Effectiveness Matters

Every team has its issues. We have all been there. And you know what? It’s normal for teams not to be effective 100% of the time. It’s normal because teams are made up of people and their interpersonal relationships, not machines.

Still, team effectiveness is essential, since it bolsters your team’s dynamic and well-being. And when the entire team is happy and performing well, so are its members.

There are multiple benefits of team effectiveness for both team members and performance, including:

Now, in order to get there and reap the benefits of having an effective, high-performing team, you need to learn the ins and outs of the 10 most common team effectiveness models, and we are here to help.

Types of Team Effectiveness Models for Your Team

Right off the bat, we have to say that there is no single right way to determine if your team is effective or not.

However, an entire goldmine of research exists on the necessary elements and common challenges for efficient teams, resulting in many different team effectiveness models.

Here is our list of 10 commonly implemented ones that can help you unlock your team's full potential:

1. GRPI Model

Also known as Rubin, Plovnick, and Fry’s GRPI model of team effectiveness, where GRPI stands for goals, roles, procedures, and interpersonal relationships. It’s one of the oldest models for team effectiveness, being introduced by Richard Beckhard in 1972, and popularized by the aforementioned team in 1978.

The four main components of this mode, as mentioned previously, are:

• Goals: Your team needs to have clearly defined objectives and accomplishments on individual and team levels. Without a goal in sight, your team not only becomes directionless but also prone to disagreements.
• Roles: Each team member needs to know what they are accountable for, what they are an authority on, and what their exact role is. If one or more members aren’t aware of their responsibilities, it leads to disputes and conflict within the team.
• Procedures: Your team operates by following set processes. This includes procedures and tools for communication, decision-making, workflow, and conflict resolution.
• Interpersonal relationships: Team members need to have relationships with each other that are built on trust and open communication.

This model is ideal for structured teams that want to get back on track, those that are starting to understand how they work and want to improve, and brand-new teams.

2. Hackman Model

Devised by J. Richard Hackman and his 40-year research of teams dating back to the 1970s, this model is built around the idea that the right conditions are crucial for a group of people or a team to be effective.

According to Hackman, the five conditions your team needs to function optimally are:

• Real team: Every person on your team has a clear role which includes set tasks they need to carry out, as well as rights. You can create a central document that lays out everyone’s role and tasks.
• Compelling direction: In other words, there is a clear end goal that everyone is motivated and inspired to work towards. To make things easier for your team members, you can break the end goal into several smaller ones.
• Enabling structure: You need to have a set structure, workflows, and processes your team can lean on to be effective and fulfill its goals.
• Supportive context: This includes providing your team with all the necessary tools, resources, support, and training they need to complete their goals.
• Expert coaching: With coaching or mentorship, your team can rely on expert help when needed, develop their skills further, and deal with potential obstacles more effectively. Coaching also introduces a culture of continuous learning.

With its detailed approach, this team effectiveness model is ideal for structured teams that have the resources and time to handle its complex and holistic nature.

3. Katzenbach and Smith Model

Devised in 1993 by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, this team effectiveness model has a triangular form, with each side of the triangle being one team objective or goal.

These three sides include:

• Commitment: If your team members are committed to the mission and goals of your agency or organization, then they are more engaged and likely to function well as a team. Without commitment, team dynamic starts to suffer.
• Skills: Your team members need to be equipped with skills and tools that enable them to solve problems as a team.
• Accountability: Everyone needs to be held accountable for completing their tasks on time because the work of other team members might depend on the completion of those tasks. If individual tasks aren’t being done, it jeopardizes the success of the entire team.

In other words, the core principles of the Katzenback and Smith model are team members’ engagement and accountability.

If your team is having trouble switching from the individual to the team mindset, this model can help give them a sense of purpose through commitment to the goal and ownership. Also, it is perfect for smaller teams that can get together quickly and frequently.

4. Lencioni Model

Patrick Lencioni defined this team effectiveness model in his 2005 book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”. In the book, he clearly identifies five qualities you don’t want your team to have, and which lead to conflicts.

Your team might be dysfunctional if it checks one or more of the following negative qualities:

• Absence of trust: If your team members are hesitant to ask for help or to appear vulnerable, they won’t turn to each other and there will be no real interaction within the team.
• Fear of conflict: Avoiding conflict at all costs also means a lack of constructive disagreements which can lead to better decisions, ideas, and solutions.
• Lack of commitment: If team members aren’t committed and aren’t buying into the idea of the team, then they won’t stick to deadlines and follow through on their decisions. As a result, the team won’t move forward.
• Avoidance of accountability: If co-workers aren’t willing to hold each other accountable for their work, then there won’t be any performance standards to speak of.
• Inattention to details: Once individual results and goals become a priority, group success will take a back seat, and there will be nobody to track team effectiveness and progress.

If your team is struggling due to internal conflicts, the Lencioni model could prove as an effective solution. However, in order for this approach to work, team members need to be willing to show a high degree of vulnerability and openness, which can be a challenge.

5. LaFasto and Larson model

Dr. Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson’s research included over 6,000 teams and leaders in different niches and organizations in order to determine which elements make for an effective team.

The result was this model, which was originally called the “Five Dynamics of Team Work and Collaboration”. They determined that each effective team needs to have these five elements:

• Team members: Each team’s biggest asset is the skills that it possesses, so choosing the people with appropriate skills and knowledge sets you up for success.
• Team relationships: In addition to skill, each member of your team needs to have the right attitude and mindset when it comes to team collaboration. This promotes great relationships within the team and promotes the right behavior.
• Team problem-solving: When you have a cohesive team and team members have good interaction, solving problems becomes a much more streamlined process. The same goes for conflict resolution within the team.
• Team leadership: Having a proactive team leader who encourages and motivates the team to do better is essential for helping it move closer toward success.
• Organization environment: If you set up company culture and the right collaborative methods from the start, your team is more likely to commit to common goals.

LaFasto and Larson's model emphasizes the importance of team collaboration. Regardless of how skilled individual team members are, it’s their ability to work together that actually solves the majority of problems, not their individual qualities.

This model is ideal for cross-functional teams featuring designers, marketers, writers, and developers, for example.

6. T7 Model

In 1995, Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger studied 303 groups in 50 organizations in different industries. The result was the T7 team effectiveness model, with the name coming from the fact that they identified seven factors, five internal and two external ones, all starting with the letter “T”.

The five internal factors of the T7 model are:

• Thrust: This refers to the shared team goals or objectives.
• Trust: Team members can lean on each other, because they know they will receive support.
• Talent: The technical and interpersonal skills your team members need to have in order to do their job.
• Teaming skills: Your team's ability to work well together.
• Task skills: Ability to work and complete tasks effectively.

The two external factors include:

• Team leader fit: Having a team leader that works well with and for the team. On the flip side, team members are willing to follow the leader.
• Team support from the organization: Organization or management that provides the team with sufficient resources and support, so that they can carry out their tasks successfully.

This model is great for zeroing in on the weaknesses of your team and deciding where to focus your efforts and resources. For example, if it’s a skill issue, the solution is to provide additional training or to change team members.

If your team needs additional resources to be effective, then you need to push for support from the organization.

7. Tuckman’s FSNP/FSNPA Model

Developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, this model was initially called the FSNP, with each letter representing one of the sequential stages of building a team. In 1997, along with Mary Anne Jenses, he added a fifth stage, creating the FSNPA model.

The five sequential stages of Tuckman’s FSNPA model are:

• Forming: Your team gets together for the first time and gets on the same page in terms of goals and objectives.
• Storming: At this stage, your team members begin to open up, learn about each other’s working style, and determine how to best work together. This is also where conflicts and complaints appear for the first time.
• Norming: Your team members start to realize the importance of collaboration for reaching a common team goal, and tolerate each other flaws and quirks.
• Performing: At this point, there is trust within your team, and each team member is engaged and committed to reaching the shared goals.
• Adjourning: This stage comes after project completion. This is where you make an assessment of your team’s effectiveness, as well as acknowledge the contributions of each member of your team.

One of the biggest advantages of Tuckman’s FSNPA team effectiveness model is that it could help your team view tensions, differences, and conflict as a normal occurrence in every team. Becoming comfortable with it and accepting it is the key.

8. Google Model

According to the numbers, 86% of employees and executives cite a lack of collaboration as a workplace failure.

In order to figure out what makes a team effective, Google interviewed over 200 of its employees across 189 teams and looked at over 250 attributes. They were able to conclude that team effectiveness is not about the who, but about the how.

In other words, it’s not about who is on your team, but how members of your team interact with each other. Google’s experts were able to break down their model into five key dynamics that are crucial for team effectiveness.

These include:

• Psychological safety: Your team members should feel safe to take risks without fear of embarrassment.
• Dependability: Co-workers rely on one another to get the job done effectively.
• Structure and clarity: You need to have a defined role, goals, and plans, both for your team and for each member.
• Meaning of work: Team members work on something that is important to them personally and professionally.
• Impact of work: Your team believes that the work they do matters.

Psychological safety is the most important aspect of Google’s model because it provides the foundation on which the other four are built. If members of your team fear taking action because it might change how their teammates perceive them, it undermines that team’s effectiveness.

9. Robbins and Judge Model

According to Robbins and Judge team effectiveness mode, four key elements are responsible for team cohesion and productivity:

• Context: This includes all the external factors that are within your organization, but which affect your team, such as resources, work environment, leadership, and reward for productive employees.
• Composition: You are required to take a look at the makeup of your team, including their skills, strengths, weaknesses, experiences, preferred ways of working, as well as their size and distribution of positions.
• Work design: As a manager, this requires you to gather insights from your team members into what sorts of work they do, what level of autonomy they have, and how varied their tasks are.
• Process: This element focuses on the manner in which your team plans and reaches its goals, as well as their alignment with your agency’s mission statement and company values.

The Robbins and Judge is a good solution if you are looking for a flexible and details approach to team effectiveness. The only challenge is its implementation, because it requires time and you run the risk of of overloading your team with information.

10. Salas, Dickinson, Converse and Tannenbaum Model

This team effectiveness model was developed by Salas, Dickinson, Converse, and Tannenbaum. They used Hackman’s model as their starting point and made modifications.

Their version considers elements like organizational context and group design to be crucial when it comes to productivity and performance as a team. The complete list of key elements for team effectiveness according to this model is:

• Organizational context: Each team, in order to be effective, needs a supportive environment that will provide them with the appropriate training, information, and rewards as they reach their goals.
• Team design: Every effective team is built around a proper structure, with clear goals and an understanding of processes.
• Team synergy: Working together is necessary in order to make progress and reduce losses which are the result of ineffectiveness.
• Process effectiveness: Your team needs to be able to estimate how much time, effort, and skill is needed for them to complete their tasks
• Material resources: In order to deliver high-quality work and stick to deadlines, your team needs to have sufficient resources that enable them to do that.
• Group effectiveness: High-performing teams feel good about their experience as a group, about each other’s work, and about collaboration inside the team.

With this model, you can examine the context of your team. In general, this team effectiveness model is suited for teams that are already formed.

How to Choose the Right Effectiveness Model for Your Team

It’s a given that each team is unique, but there are some practices that, if followed, can point you in the right direction and guide you to the right team effectiveness model.

Here is what you need to do when choosing the effectiveness model for your team:

• Understand how your team works: Being able to estimate your team’s size, composition, and developmental stage will help you select the appropriate model that addresses most of your team’s needs.
• Make sure your agency’s goals and culture align with your model: The model should never conflict with your agency’s values, practices, and goals. It should support your strategic objectives.
• Consider the impact of the team's development stage: if your team is in the early stages of its development or if it has experienced significant changes in its composition, then some models, such as Tuckman’s model, are a logical choice.
• Smooth integration of the model with your existing processes: Every implementation comes at a cost. However, with a powerful project management tool, such as ActiveCollab, you can adopt a new model with minimal impact on your existing workflows and systems.
• Choose a model that supports flexibility and scalability: Your team might change in terms of size, structure, or goals, so narrow down your choice of a model to those that can follow your agency’s growth.
• Assess your style of leadership: Depending on what kind of a leader you are, some effectiveness models may be more suitable than others. For example, if your approach is to be more interconnected, then the Katzebach and Smith model might be the best option.
• Introduce feedback mechanisms and performance metrics: Decide on the team performance metric and feedback channels, so that you can measure the impact and success of your selected team effectiveness model and make changes if needed.

Conclusion - Support the Implementation of Your Team Effectiveness Model with ActiveCollab

Each of the models we have covered in this article aims to make your team more effective while fostering team collaboration. However, these models are only a tool for getting you there.

As a leader, it is up to you to take your time to understand your agency team, and find ways to boost their engagement, morale, and ultimately, their performance. In fact, after doing all that heavy lifting, you will already have a pretty good about the team effectiveness model that suits your team best and how to implement it.

And when it comes to practical implementation, ActiveCollab’s project management platform can be a powerful ally for running your team and making sure they are happy, cohesive, and firing on all cylinders.

Do you need help making your team more effective and productive?