What Best-Performing Teams of TE Assessments Do Differently

Excellence is Never Accidental

When we see a high-performing team in action, we usually only see and talk about the output. What we don’t always see is the intentional structure, mindset and collaboration behind the scenes that made those results possible.

At SGPC, the Team Excellence (TE) Assessment has provided a national platform for recognising outstanding team-based improvement efforts across industries. By reviewing some of the best submissions over the years, it is clear that: excellent teams aren’t lucky — they’re intentional.

So what are they doing that others aren’t?

What is Team Excellence Assessment?

Organised annually by SGPA, TE Assessment is a structured platform that recognises team-based problem-solving projects with measurable impact. It serves as a gateway for top teams to represent Singapore at international conventions like ICQCC and IETEX, and encourages organisations to benchmark their internal practices against high-performing peers.

What the Top Teams Do Differently?

There are a few key behaviours that distinguish them from the rest — not just in results, but in how they approach problems and engage their people.

1. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Top-performing teams bring together members from different departments or job functions. The diversity allows them to assess problems from different angles and co-create solutions that work across silos.

2. Root Cause First, Not Quick Fixes

They do not jump to quick conclusions. Instead, they are disciplined in utilising tools such as Ichikawa (fishbone) diagrams, 5 Whys and Pareto charts to uncover real hidden reasons behind problems before brainstorming solutions.

3. Innovation Under Constraints

Top teams think creatively within time, resource and system constraints — often developing improvements that are practical, cost-effective and scalable. 

4. Alignment to Organisational PurposeThe most effective teams don’t work in silos — their improvement projects are closely aligned to the organisation’s mission and vision. This alignment ensures that every solution contributes to a bigger goal, and it gives the team’s work deeper meaning and clearer direction.

5. Storytelling the Human Side

When presenting their projects, the best teams don’t just show numbers — they share the story of their improvement journeying. They reveal the challenges they faced, the shifts in mindsets and the team dynamics; that makes their results relatable and replicable. 

✨ Behind every successful solution is a team that challenged assumptions, collaborated across boundaries, and trusted the process.

Why Team Excellence Matters

Building a corporate culture of team excellence is not just about recognition and more about transformation. Organisations that nurture team-based improvements have reportedly seen wide-reaching benefits such as:

• Higher employee engagement through shared ownership of outcomes

• Stronger problem-solving culture among operational staff

• Teams become a training ground for future leaders

• Tangible benefits in service delivery excellence, cost reduction and/or task efficiencies

In today’s volatile environment, the ability to rally a team around a challenge, overcome it collaboratively and deliver measurable improvement is a valuable and vital sign. 

Great teams aren’t born by accident. They’re built — one goal, one iteration, one challenge at a time.