Once upon a time, there was a project where the team had a great vibe. The people were committed and thriving. Work flowed smoothly, both schedules and budgets were on track, and results were achieved. Team members were led in an almost magically individualistic way, the team dynamics rocked, and everyone achieved their best. Tasks were assigned so that each person had as many energizing tasks based on their strengths as possible. The project team had become a high-performance team, even though the individuals were just ordinary people, not the coveted top performers. Research shows that such teams succeed in projects 89% of the time (1).

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Not your everyday situation, but it's possible for almost any project. So, how is this trick done?

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1) Knowing strengths. Gallup has researched strengths-based leadership and made a significant discovery. Awareness of strengths, both one's own and others', has twice the impact on team performance compared to the composition of the team's strengths. In other words, it's not about what strengths the team has, but how well team members know each other's strengths.

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2) Team commitment. Leadership based on individual strengths, knowing each other's strengths, understanding colleagues' work preferences and values enable good collaboration. Conflicts decrease when it's understood that the other person isn't being difficult out of malice, but is just a bit different. A good team spirit binds the team together and fosters commitment. A strongly committed team member can be even 202% more productive than an uncommitted one (3).

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3) Retaining team members. Replacing a team member is costly. Hiring a new professional has been shown to cost up to a six-figure sum (4). Finding a member for a project might be easier, but it's not free either. Gallup has found that managing a team based on strengths reduces employee turnover by 72% (5). The right kind of leadership, of course, enables good results, but also reduces turnover, so there's no need to waste energy constantly replacing people.

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Mazhr's Talent Management Platform dynamically, quickly, and easily produces data on team members' motivation, work styles, and inherent strengths in an exceptionally readable visual format compared to other tools. Utilizing this data for project management and as a basis for collaboration allows for the formation of high-performance project teams.

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New projects can utilize Apex Analytics right from the beginning. Team members can check their own results before the kickoff, and the team can review them during the kickoff meeting. Project management can use the results of assessments to refine task allocation and their own leadership throughout the project. If conflicts arise during the project despite good mutual understanding, targeted leadership, and strengths-based role allocation, they are easier to resolve when the motivators of individuals are known.

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Based on my extensive project experience and the results we've obtained from research and Mazhr's customer projects, it's easy to be convinced that project organizations can significantly benefit from Mazhr's service. If you're interested, get in touch!

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Author:

Reetta Rajala

(transl. Heikki Rekilä)

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Source:

1. Project Management Institute - 2014

2. Jim Asplund, Gallup Organization

3. Tina, 2023: https://teamstage.io/company-culture-statistics/

4. Allen, et al. - 2010

5. Gallup Organization -- Clifton Strengths