Results of a large-scale survey and in-depth industry interviews show teams need help tracking decisions, connecting decisions to larger goals, and reviewing the outcomes of decisions.

During the winter and spring of 2014, Nugg undertook a series of interviews and surveys to better understand the pain points around working within and across teams. More than 500 people participated in the initial survey and 50 in a follow-up survey. The results are now available as an ebook co-authored by Steven Forth and Tris Hussey entitled 21st Century Teams: What Hurts and What Works. In addition, the analysis of the results of the survey, the authors propose recommendations and solutions for today’s complex teams of teams world.

The initial survey included over 500 responses and is paired with a follow-up survey of 50 responses. The two surveys are augmented by one-on-one interviews with thought leaders in the consulting and professional services markets. From the surveys and interviews, five key pains for teams were identified:

  • Achieving clarity on goals and key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • Asking the questions that impact performance
  • Tracking the outcomes of decisions
  • Connecting decisions to key performance indicators or objectives
  • Making decisions quickly enough

And the keys to successful teams were found to be:

  • Having clear goals
  • Having people with the required skills on the team
  • Having a team that is energized and engaged

From these pains and success factors, the authors developed five essential behaviors that teams need to develop and support to remain or become successful:

  • Clear and open communication with all members including conversations on roles and goals
  • The habit of regularly asking and answering questions
  • The ability to discuss and make decisions
  • Tracking the implementation and outcome of decisions
  • Connecting activities and decisions back to goals

“The insights in from these surveys might seem obvious—of course teams need to have good communication to succeed—but on the whole no one has tried to tease out solutions and recommendations like this before,” said Steven Forth, co-author and CEO of Nugg Solutions, “We see this new interplay between teams and teams of teams as the greatest challenge facing the world of work this decade.”

“If you look at what’s actually happening with teams today,” poses Nugg CTO Dr. Lee Iverson, “you see individuals and teams facing increased pressure to communicate and be productive in environments where adaptability and fluidity are essential. Only by communicating, tracking, and connecting conversations and decisions to personal goals, team goals, and goals across teams, will everyone succeed.”

21st Century Teams: What Hurts and What Works is available for free today via the Nugg website at http://betterteams.nugg.co/ebook/.

About Nugg Solutions Corp.: Based in Vancouver, BC and part of the VentureLabs program, Nugg was founded by Steven Forth (CEO) and Amar Dhaliwal (Chairman) in January 2013. The leadership team also includes Dr. Lee Iverson as CTO and Tris Hussey as Director of Customer Success. Nugg is a platform for a suite of web and mobile apps for building, managing, and tracking high-performance teams. Nugg provides teams with a targeted messaging layer that provides the information, metrics, and feedback to drive continuous performance improvement.

Media contact:
Tris Hussey, Director of Customer Success
604-319-6765
tris@nugg.co