research suggests that working in teams can increase individual productivity by up to 62%
(Manzoor, Ullah, Hussain, & Ahmad, 2011) - far outweighing team spirit, trust and external rewards in their ability to get sh*t done!
Creating high performing teams
Which leads us to the next pesky question – how long is all that going to take? Team development is influenced by a variety of factors, and your individual mileage will vary. Here are a few tips to accelerate the process of team development:
1. Psychological safety trumps all
A 2012 study at Google revealed psychological safety as the
singularly most important factor in team performance
(Duhigg, 2016). So focus on creating an environment where
it’s okay to think differently, speak your mind, or make a
mistake.
2. Focus
Distractions are performance killers – set a clear purpose
and goal for your team and allow team members to deeply
focus on goal achievement.
3. Keep it tight
Smaller teams are more adaptable than larger teams, so help
yourself and limit team size, or consider breaking work into
multiple streams to create smaller teams.
Emergent processes
Well done, you made it this far! Now before you go and get on with your life, let’s take a peek at “emergent processes” and get familiar with organisational change theory.
9