Introduction

A seismic shift is occurring in UK government contracting. The traditional model—where large prime contractors dominated procurement by sweeping up entire contracts—is increasingly being replaced by collaborative consortia bids.

This transformation is statistically significant, driven by two key factors—the scarcity of specialist skills and a heightened emphasis on social value. The UK government’s push for SME participation, sustainability, agility, and innovation reshapes how major contracts are awarded. This makes the conscious development of team cohesion a vital element of both winning and successfully delivering large contracts.

Trust, commitment, and shared purpose

The question is: How do you build a high-performing, collaborative team from such diverse backgrounds? The answer lies in trust, commitment, and shared purpose—principles beautifully exemplified by Catalonia’s human towers, or “castells.”

Castells are consortia in motion

In the tradition of castells, teams build human towers that can reach up to ten levels high. Success depends on absolute coordination, trust, and adaptability. Each participant has a role, from the sturdy base (pinya), providing foundational support, to the agile children (anxaneta) who climb to the top.

A castell is not built by force; it is built through synergy, just as a business team cannot succeed through individual brilliance alone. When organisations form consortia, their challenge is not just to stand up together but to stay standing, adapt, and reach the highest level of performance.

What makes the castell even more remarkable is that its participants come from all walks of life. Among the castellers, you will find doctors, farmers, police officers, students, and even children, each bringing their unique strengths, backgrounds, and values. Despite their differences, they come together with a singular purpose: to build something greater than themselves. They train, trust, and rely on each other to achieve a common goal.

They train, trust, and rely on each other to achieve a common goal.

This should be the aspiration of any bid team or consortium. Like the castell, consortia bring together diverse organisations with different expertise, cultures, and priorities. The success of a bid does not lie in a single company’s ability but in the cohesion and synergy of the entire team. Just as a castell relies on every individual playing their part, a high-performing bid team must ensure collaboration, trust, and adaptability to secure and deliver contracts successfully.

Enable’s Indicators of High Performing Teams

Enable’s approach to high-performing teams is based on a combination of leading research, practical experience in leading, training, and coaching teams and consortia, and input from our associate psychologists. This ensures that our model is both academically grounded and practically applicable.

Drawing from methodologies such as Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development, the Institute of Collaborative Working & ISO 44001, Amy Edmondson’s Psychological Safety, Richard Hackman’s Conditions for Team Effectiveness, and Google’s Project Aristotle, we have developed a robust framework for assessing and building high-performing teams.

1. Trust – The Foundation of Stability

Trust is the single most critical element of high-performing teams. Without trust, collaboration is superficial, and individuals operate in silos. Psychological safety, a concept developed by Amy Edmondson, is essential in creating an environment where people feel safe to share ideas, challenge norms, and admit mistakes without fear of retribution.

In bid teams and consortia, trust must be established quickly across organisational boundaries. This requires intentional effort in relationship-building, transparency in decision-making, and fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued rather than seen as a threat. Just as the base of a castell must trust those above them to hold steady, team members in a consortium must trust that each partner is equally committed to shared success.

2. Positive Conflict – Strength in Diversity

Many organisations view conflict as inherently negative, but high-performing teams understand that conflict, when managed well, is a driver of innovation and better decision-making. Patrick Lencioni highlights that avoiding conflict leads to artificial harmony, which stifles progress.

In a castell, subtle adjustments and tensions in positioning ensure the tower holds firm under pressure. Likewise, in a bid team or consortium, constructive disagreement leads to stronger strategies, better risk management, and a more compelling value proposition for the client. Leaders must create an environment where debate is encouraged, feedback is welcomed, and decisions are made based on the best ideas rather than hierarchical position.

3. Commitment – The Drive to Succeed

Commitment is more than compliance—it is about deep buy-in to a shared goal. Richard Hackman’s work on team effectiveness stresses the importance of compelling direction, ensuring that every team member understands and aligns with the mission.

In large bids, achieving this level of commitment can be challenging due to differing organisational priorities. However, the most successful consortia align incentives, clearly communicate expectations, and establish a shared purpose that transcends individual corporate goals. Just as a castell relies on every individual staying fully engaged until the tower is complete, bid teams must ensure that commitment remains strong through every stage of the procurement and delivery process.

4. Accountability – The Willingness to Adapt

High-performing teams take ownership not only for their own tasks but for the success of the whole team. Google’s Project Aristotle found that in the best teams, accountability is a collective effort, not just a leadership directive.

In a castell, if one individual loses balance, the entire structure is at risk. Similarly, in a bid consortium, a failure in one part of the team can jeopardise the entire contract. This makes proactive accountability essential—team members must be willing to call out risks, support one another, and adjust their approach in response to challenges.

5. Team Results Focus – Winning Together

A castell is successful only when the entire tower reaches its peak and descends safely—not when individual climbers reach their own personal milestones. This reflects one of the biggest mindset shifts required in consortia: prioritising collective success over individual organisational wins.

Research from ISO 44001 on collaborative business relationships shows that the most effective consortia have aligned performance metrics, shared rewards, and governance structures that reinforce mutual success. High-performing teams focus not just on winning the bid but on ensuring long-term delivery success, maintaining client relationships, and continuously improving collaboration over time.

Turning Research into Practice

While research provides the foundation, Enable ensures that high-performance teamwork is not just theoretical but effectively embedded into practice. We achieve this through a blend of psychometrics, assessment, coaching, and training, all delivered by our team of qualified coaches, assessors, and psychologists.

1. Psychometrics & Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a fundamental driver of effective teamwork. By utilising industry-leading psychometric tools, we help individuals and teams understand their own and each other’s working styles, strengths, and potential blind spots. This improves communication, collaboration, and resilience under pressure—critical in high-stakes bid environments where performance is paramount.

2. Targeted Assessments for Team Alignment

Assessing a team’s capabilities early is essential for ensuring rapid alignment and effectiveness. Our team cohesion assessments identify potential friction points, gaps in capability, and areas where intervention is needed. These insights allow for proactive course correction, ensuring that teams align around shared goals from the outset.

3. Coaching to Embed Collaborative Behaviours

We provide bespoke coaching, tailored to the needs of bid teams and consortia. Our one-to-one and group coaching interventions focus on fostering trust, improving decision-making, and developing a shared ethos—ensuring that diverse teams operate as a unified force.

4. Training to Build Capability & Culture

Enable delivers specialist training programmes that equip bid teams and consortia with the skills to function at peak performance. This includes training on:

  • Collaborative working principles (ISO 44001)
  • Conflict resolution and decision-making
  • Strategic problem-solving under pressure
  • Building high-trust environments

5. Creating Lasting Impact Beyond the Bid

Even if a consortium exists only for the duration of a bid and contract, our goal is to leave a lasting impact. We equip individuals with new skills and experiences that they take back into their own organisations, setting a higher standard for teamwork across the industry. By doing this, Enable ensures that the lessons learned within the bid environment create long-term change, enhancing team effectiveness well beyond the immediate project.

Conclusion: The Future is Collaborative

The shift towards consortia bids is not anecdotal—it is statistically significant.

The future of UK public procurement belongs to those who can build the strongest teams, not just the biggest companies. Organisations that embrace this shift will win more contracts, drive more innovation, and create a more resilient supply chain for the UK government.

To win, you must consciously build the team. To deliver, you must ensure that team cohesion holds.

If you are a Managing Director or Sales Director facing a must-win bid, you cannot afford to rely on outdated approaches to team formation. The difference between winning and losing is not just your proposition—it’s your team’s ability to function as a single, high-performing unit. Enable’s expertise in team cohesion, coaching, and psychometric-driven alignment ensures that your bid team operates at peak performance, delivering results when it matters most.

Contact Enable today to find out how we can help you forge the winning team that will secure your next major contract. Let’s build something extraordinary—together.

References

  • Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.
  • Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances. Harvard Business Press.
  • Google (2016). Project Aristotle: Understanding Team Effectiveness. Retrieved from https://rework.withgoogle.com
  • Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass.
  • McKinsey & Company (2020). The Impact of Team Alignment on Business Performance. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com
  • Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384-399.
  • Institute of Collaborative Working (2021). ISO 44001 Collaborative Business Relationships Standard.