Google has always been a company that has strongly opted for teamwork. They have designed an organization in which collaboration is essential in all areas. They understand that teams are molecular units where things happen, where new ideas are generated and tested, and where employees can deliver their best performance.
Aware of the importance of teamwork, they launched the ARISTOTLE PROJECT a few years ago, intending to decipher the characteristics of the best work teams. For more than 2 years, the researchers studied the work dynamics of more than 180 company teams, interviewed more than 200 professionals, and studied more than 250 team skills. They called it the Aristotle Project in honor of the Greek philosopher since one of his maxims was “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. They wanted to discover what was the best combination of workers and skills to achieve great team performance. AND THEY FOUND THAT THE KEY TO TEAMWORK IS NOT WHO IS PART OF THE GROUP BUT HOW THEY INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.
Also, after the study, they shared THE 5 KEYS TO GREAT TEAMS AT GOOGLE. They are the following:
- PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY: that is, team members are not afraid to take risks. They feel supported by their peers and dare to give their opinion, take decisions, and take risks. They feel sure that if any decision or action of theirs does not go as expected, they will not be punished or questioned in any way. This calm and confidence allow team members to be more creative and dare to propose more ideas.
- DEPENDABILITY: Members trust each other. They know the job will be done on time and with the right quality. Trust is essential for good teamwork.
- STRUCTURE AND CLARITY: Each member of the team knows their role, their plans, and their objectives. The objectives are set at the individual and group level and must be specific, challenging, and attainable. Workers are clear about what is expected of them and how to meet these expectations.
- MEANING: Finding meaning, finding purpose in the work itself or the result is important for team effectiveness. The meaning of work is personal and can vary for each team member: financial security, family support, helping the team succeed, or individual self-expression, for example.
- IMPACT: Team members must subjectively believe that their work is important to the group and has a positive impact on others. Workers feel that their work matters.
The researchers also discovered SOME ASPECTS THAT, CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST MAY THINK, WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CONNECTED TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS:
- Colocation of teammates (sitting together in the same office)
- Consensus-driven decision making
- Extroversion of team members
- Individual performance of team members
- Workload size
- Seniority
- Team size
- Tenure
We have been able to discover Google’s findings regarding teamwork. Surely you can get excellent ideas to improve the results of your work teams. Because as leadership and teamwork expert John C. Maxwell says, “The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of any great achievement.”
