How systemic team coaching® can transform team habits for higher performance

Recent research into team performance has revealed a stark contrast between the best and worst habits influencing effectiveness. While teams excel in trust-building, they struggle with feedback and accountability - two crucial elements for continuous improvement. Systemic Team Coaching® (STC) offers a robust approach to addressing these challenges by equipping teams with the skills, framework, and mindset shifts necessary for sustainable high performance.

Insights from the Team Effectiveness in the Workplace 2025 report

The Team Effectiveness in the Workplace 2025 report, conducted by Strengthscope, analysed data from 1,588 team members across various sectors, including finance, marketing, HR and operations. The research, which collected responses from participants in the UK, Europe and the US, examined key habits that impact team performance. It highlighted a significant gap in feedback and accountability, while also recognising trust as a strength in high-performing teams. These findings offer valuable insights into the areas where teams need the most support to enhance their effectiveness.

Tackling the feedback challenge

One of the key findings of the research is that teams often fall short in giving and receiving constructive feedback. This lack of open dialogue can stifle growth and limit a team’s ability to adapt and improve. Systemic Team Coaching® directly addresses this issue by fostering a culture where feedback is not only welcomed but actively sought. Through structured coaching interventions, team members learn how to provide meaningful, actionable feedback in a way that strengthens relationships rather than undermining them.

Systemic team coaches work with teams to create psychologically safe environments, ensuring that members feel confident in voicing concerns, sharing insights and seeking feedback from one another and their stakeholders. This process helps teams move beyond surface-level conversations and engage in the kind of deep, constructive discussions that drive performance improvements.

Strengthening accountability within teams

Another major challenge highlighted by the research is the lack of accountability within teams. When team members do not hold each other accountable for delivering results or maintaining agreed standards, motivation can decrease, and performance can suffer. Systemic Team Coaching® instils a strong sense of shared responsibility by ensuring that every member understands their role, contributions and impact on collective success.

By embedding accountability within a team’s culture, systemic team coaches help prevent the negative domino effect that arises when commitments are not met. Instead, team members become more invested in each other’s success, fostering a sense of mutual support and collective ownership over goals and outcomes.

Leveraging team strengths while enhancing clarity

While the research identifies challenges, it also highlights positive habits that high-performing teams exhibit. Trust was found to be a strong foundation for effective teamwork, with members feeling comfortable sharing ideas and relying on each other for support. Systemic Team Coaching® builds on this strength by encouraging deeper collaboration and reinforcing trust as a core team value.

However, trust alone is not enough. The study also found that clarity around roles, purpose and goals is a defining characteristic of the most successful teams. Systemic Team Coaching® brings structured processes to help teams align around their purpose, clarify expectations and set measurable goals that guide their efforts. Team coaches facilitate conversations that ensure every member understands how their contributions fit into the bigger picture, reducing ambiguity and increasing focus.

The power of Team Connect 360 (TC360)

To further support teams in identifying and addressing performance challenges, those who undertake Systemic Team Coaching® training gain access to the Team Connect 360 (TC360) diagnostic tool. TC360 provides teams with invaluable insights by gathering feedback from key stakeholders, including team members, leaders and external partners.

Built around Professor Peter Hawkins’ Five Disciplines Model of High-Performing Teams, TC360 assesses critical areas such as stakeholder expectations, team dynamics, learning and development and overall productivity. By capturing diverse perspectives, this tool offers a data-driven approach to identifying strengths and areas for improvement, making it an essential resource for teams committed to evolving and excelling.

Why working with a professional team coach matters

Karen Smart, head of consultancy at the AoEC, emphasises the transformative impact of professional team coaching: “Working with a skilled systemic team coach helps teams break free from unproductive habits and develop a more effective way of working together. By focusing on both relationships and results, teams become more resilient, agile and equipped to navigate today’s complex business environment.”

Systemic Team Coaching® ensures that organisations don’t just address surface-level issues but make lasting changes that lead to higher performance, greater engagement, and improved stakeholder relationships.

Investing in systemic team coaching® for sustainable success

For organisations looking to supercharge their teams, investing in Systemic Team Coaching® is a strategic decision that delivers long-term benefits. Whether through the Systemic Team Coaching® Certificate (Practitioner) or Diploma (Senior Practitioner) programmes, participants gain the skills, tools and methodologies needed to coach teams effectively and help them overcome the very challenges highlighted in the research.

By embracing a systemic approach, organisations can move beyond isolated interventions and instead cultivate teams that thrive in dynamic environments. The ability to provide and receive feedback, hold each other accountable, and work with clarity and purpose are not just desirable traits - they are essential for teams to achieve their full potential in today’s fast-paced and complex business environment.