Around 2010, a group of researchers wanted to find out if teams have a collective intelligence as opposed to the sum of its individuals. This study was part of a broader effort to decode what makes some teams more successful than others, a question that has intrigued organizational psychologists and business leaders alike for decades.

To do this, they began by recruiting 699 individuals ensuring a diverse mix in terms of skills, backgrounds, and personalities. These participants were then randomly assigned to 152 different teams. The goal was to observe how different teams interact, collaborate, and solve problems when faced with various cooperative tasks. By analyzing the behavior and performance of a large number of diverse teams, the researchers hoped to identify patterns, behaviors, and characteristics that distinguish high-performing teams from less effective ones.

The teams were assigned a range of cooperative tasks that varied in complexity and nature. These tasks were designed to simulate real-world challenges that teams in organizational settings might face. Here are some of the exercises that were given:

1.The Marshmallow Challenge: This exercise involves teams working together to build the tallest free-standing structure they can, using a set number of spaghetti sticks, tape, string, and a marshmallow that must be placed on top. It encourages creativity, innovation, and iterative learning, as teams quickly realize the need for prototyping and testing their structures.

2. Escape Room Scenarios: Teams are placed in a scenario where they must solve a series of puzzles and riddles to “escape” from a locked room within a set time limit. This exercise tests teams’ ability to work under pressure, communicate effectively, and leverage each other’s strengths.

3. Egg Drop: Teams are tasked with designing a device or structure that can protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a certain height. This exercise fosters innovation, resourcefulness, and risk-taking, as teams iterate on their designs to find the most effective solution.

4. Survival Simulations: In this exercise, teams are given a scenario where they must prioritize a list of items or actions for survival in a wilderness or disaster scenario (e.g., stranded in the Arctic, lost at sea). It challenges teams to discuss, debate, and reach consensus under hypothetical life-and-death circumstances, highlighting decision-making processes and leadership dynamics.

5. The Barter Puzzle: Teams are given different pieces of several puzzles and must work together to complete their puzzles. However, some pieces are with the wrong team, requiring teams to negotiate with each other. This exercise tests communication, negotiation, and strategy, as teams must figure out what pieces they need and how to obtain them from others.

6. Group Jigsaw: Each team member is given a piece of information crucial to solving a problem or completing a task, but no one has the complete picture. The team must work together to share information and piece together the solution. This exercise highlights the importance of information sharing, active listening, and integrating diverse perspectives.

Key Findings:

The study revealed several critical insights into team dynamics and the factors contributing to a team’s success:

1. Equal Participation: High-performing teams tended to exhibit equal participation among members. This means that each team member had roughly equal speaking time, contributing their ideas and perspectives. This equality fostered a more inclusive and collaborative environment.

2. Social Sensitivity: Successful teams displayed high levels of social sensitivity. Team members were adept at picking up on non-verbal cues and understanding the emotional states of their colleagues. This empathy facilitated smoother interactions and conflict resolution.

3. Psychological Safety: The research underscored the importance of psychological safety within teams. Teams where members felt safe to express their thoughts, take risks, and admit mistakes without fear of ridicule or retribution performed better. This safe environment encouraged innovation and open dialogue.

4. Group Norms: The establishment of positive group norms was a hallmark of effective teams. Norms that emphasized respect, inclusivity, and shared goals helped in aligning team efforts and fostering a positive working environment.

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In 2008 and later 2012, as part of Google's broader effort to use data-driven approaches to improve organizational practices and enhance employee productivity and satisfaction, the company launched several initiatives, the most well-known being project Aristotle.

"The biggest thing you should take away from this work is that how teams work matters, in a lot of ways, more than who is on them." —Laszlo Bock, former head of People Operations at Google

Project Aristotle was a quest initiated by Google to understand why some teams excelled while others faltered. Google meticulously analyzed a wide array of data from over 180 teams within the company. The researchers expected to find that the best teams were an aggregation of top talents. However, the findings were counterintuitive. The success of a team wasn't significantly influenced by who was on the team but by how team members interacted, structured their work, and viewed their contributions.

One of the pivotal discoveries of Project Aristotle was the importance of "psychological safety" – a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, and echoing the findings from the above research study. It refers to an environment where team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other. Teams with high psychological safety were marked by traits such as mutual respect, openness, and empathy. Members of these teams felt confident that no one on the team would embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting a mistake, asking a question, or offering a new idea.

The overarching message from Project Aristotle and the subsequent research is that the "soft" elements of teamwork, such as emotional intelligence, empathy, and creating a safe space for dialogue, are crucial for a team's success. Turns out that they are five key norms that matter and make teams work successfully:

1. Psychological Safety: By large, the most important one. Teams need to feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other.

2. Dependability: Team members need to know they can depend on one another.

3. Structure and Clarity: Teams need to have clear roles, and defined goals.

4. Purpose: Teams need believe their work is personally meaningful.

5. Impact: Teams need to feel their work matters.

To ensure psychological safety, the research conducted by Google recommends applying the followings:

• Foster Open Communication: Encourage team members to speak up, share their ideas, and voice their concerns without fear of retribution or ridicule. This can be facilitated by regular and structured team meetings where everyone is invited to contribute.

• Show Empathy and Support: Leaders and team members should demonstrate understanding and support for each other's personal and professional challenges. This can be achieved through active listening and acknowledging the emotions and contributions of team members.

• Encourage Risk-taking and Experimentation: Make it clear that taking calculated risks is valued, even if it doesn't always lead to success. Celebrate the learning that comes from failure as much as the success itself.

• Lead by Example: Leaders should model the behavior they wish to see by admitting their own mistakes, asking for feedback, and showing vulnerability. This sets a precedent for the team and contributes to a safer environment.

• Establish Clear Norms: Develop and reinforce team norms that promote respect, inclusivity, and mutual support. These norms should be explicitly stated and revisited regularly to ensure they are being upheld.

• Ensure Everyone's Voice is Heard: Implement practices such as "round-robin" sharing in meetings, where each person has a turn to speak, to ensure that all team members have the opportunity to contribute.

• Provide Training: Offer workshops and training sessions on emotional intelligence, active listening, and constructive feedback to equip team members with the skills necessary to contribute to a psychologically safe environment.

In his book "Work Rules, insights from Google, Laszlo offers a wealth of insights and practical advice on cultivating a high-performing and happy workforce. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Give Your Work Meaning: Bock emphasizes the importance of connecting work to a greater purpose. People are more motivated and engaged when they understand how their work contributes to broader goals and makes a meaningful impact.

• Trust Your People: This principle relies on the belief that it's better to give employees too much freedom than not enough. Trusting your employees to do the right thing leads to more innovation and empowerment. This includes transparency with information and involving employees in decision-making processes.

• Nudge: Small nudges can lead to significant changes in behavior. Bock talks about how slight changes in the work environment or in the way information is presented can significantly influence employee behavior and decision-making.

• Focus on the Two Tails: Develop the best performers and support those who are struggling. Bock suggests investing in the highest performers to help them grow even further, while also providing support and training to the lowest performers to help them improve.

• Be Frugal and Generous: Bock points out that generous employee benefits and perks are not just lavish expenditures but strategic investments in employee happiness and productivity. At the same time, the company maintains frugality in areas that don't directly contribute to employee satisfaction or organizational effectiveness.

• Default to Open: Bock advocates for sharing as much information as possible with employees, arguing that transparency fosters trust, aligns everyone with the company's goals, and enables better decision-making at all levels.

• Enjoy!: Finally, Bock emphasizes the importance of finding joy in your work and continuously seeking ways to make it more meaningful, thus creating a virtuous cycle of improvement and satisfaction.

The key to an effective team lies not in the individual prowess of its members but in their collective behavior and the establishment of conducive group norms. Psychological safety emerges as a cornerstone of high-performing teams, enabling members to navigate the complexities of collaboration without the fear of negative repercussions for speaking up or making mistakes. This paradigm shift from individual to collective efficacy underscores the nuanced interplay of human dynamics in achieving organizational excellence.

To learn more, two great books I recommend:

• Work rules - Insights from Google by Laszlo Bock

• Smarter, Faster, Better from Charles Duhigg

If you need help to improve your team performance, schedule a call or Contact me at lvanhuffel@croforscale.com

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