Definition

A high-performing team is a cohesive group that consistently achieves its goals through complementary skills, mutual accountability and a shared commitment to quality. The term is associated with Tuckman's model of group development (1965), specifically the performing stage, and with Belbin's nine team roles (1981). In an APC context, "high-performing" also carries an inclusion dimension: a team that excludes or marginalises certain members cannot perform at its true potential, however technically capable its individuals may be.

Why this matters for Diversity, Inclusion and Teamworking

  • Level 1 knowledge: you must describe at least three conditions that characterise a high-performing team and link at least one to your own experience.
  • Surveyors lead multi-disciplinary project teams — their ability to create a high-performing environment directly affects programme, cost and quality.
  • The RICS Inclusive Employer Quality Mark expects firms to embed inclusive team practices; understanding what these look like prepares candidates for questions on firm culture.
  • Assessors look for evidence that candidates take an active role in team functioning, not merely passive participation.
  • Inclusive, high-performing teams identify risks earlier — a core professional obligation for RICS members.

Key principles

Conditions for high performance

Research consistently identifies five conditions: a compelling shared direction; clear structure (roles, norms, decision-making authority); a supportive context (resources and information); team coaching addressing process issues as they arise; and psychological safety enabling honest communication. In surveying, these translate to: a shared project brief understood by all disciplines; a RACI matrix defining accountability; a culture where raising a risk is valued rather than penalised; and a leader who addresses conflict rather than ignoring it.

The role of diversity in team performance

Diverse teams, combining different professional disciplines, experience levels and backgrounds, have a wider repertoire of problem-solving approaches. They are less susceptible to groupthink. In a surveying context, a design team that includes a cost manager, sustainability consultant and structural engineer with genuinely different perspectives will typically identify value-engineering opportunities and buildability constraints earlier than a homogeneous group, provided those different perspectives are genuinely heard.

Practical leadership behaviours and sustaining performance

Three behaviours have the greatest impact: clarity (explicit expectations, no ambiguity about accountability); recognition (specific, public acknowledgement of contributions, consistent with Herzberg's insight that recognition is a true motivator); and constructive challenge (modelling a norm of questioning assumptions so all members feel safe to challenge each other's work). High performance is not a stable state: teams can regress when membership changes or pressures intensify, so leaders must monitor climate indicators and intervene early.

Relevant RICS guidance and legislation

  • RICS Rules of Conduct (effective 2 February 2022) — Rule 2 (competence) and Rule 4 (respect) engage with effective and inclusive team management.
  • Equality Act 2010 — team structures must not disadvantage members with protected characteristics.
  • RICS Inclusive Employer Quality Mark — sets benchmarks for inclusive team environments.

Ethics and Rules of Conduct angle

Creating a high-performing team is an ethical obligation. Rule 2 requires members to deliver competent client service; team performance is a direct input to that quality. Rule 4 adds an inclusion dimension: a team leader who allows systemic exclusion to persist is in breach of the duty to encourage diversity and inclusion. The most capable surveying leaders treat inclusion and performance as inseparable.

APC-style Q&As

Q (Level 1)Name three characteristics of a high-performing team.

Clear shared purpose; complementary and balanced skills across team members; and mutual accountability, where every member takes responsibility for collective outcomes, not only their individual contribution.

Q (Level 1)Why is psychological safety important in a high-performing team?

Psychological safety, the belief that one can speak up or admit a mistake without fear, allows team members to share problems early, challenge assumptions and contribute honestly. Without it, important information is withheld, errors go unreported and performance suffers.

Q (Level 2)How does Belbin's team roles framework help a surveying team leader?

Belbin's nine roles help a team leader understand the behavioural balance present and identify gaps. A team strong in Shapers and Implementers may deliver work efficiently but miss quality errors for lack of a Completer Finisher; a team of Teamworkers without a Monitor Evaluator may reach consensus on a flawed plan. Understanding the role mix helps the leader assign responsibilities more effectively.

Q (Level 2)Describe the environment of your current team and how you contribute to its performance.

(example) My team handles commercial building surveys and dilapidations for institutional clients. I run a brief weekly stand-up where each member states priorities and any blockers, keeping everyone informed and preventing bottlenecks. I actively encourage our graduate to raise questions in team meetings rather than waiting for one-to-ones, which has helped her develop faster and has surfaced useful technical points for the wider team.

Q (Level 3)A major project team is performing well technically but interpersonal tensions between two senior members are affecting team morale and timelines. How do you intervene?

(example) I would meet each member separately to understand their perspective without prejudging. I would then hold a facilitated conversation between them, structured around the impact on the team and project rather than attributing blame, and agree explicit norms for how disagreements would be handled, for example that methodology disputes should be raised in the weekly progress meeting rather than by email. I would monitor team morale in subsequent weeks and be prepared to escalate to my line manager if the tension recurred. I would also remain alert to whether the tension had any connection to a protected characteristic, which could engage the Equality Act 2010.