Do teams need to always get along?
People generally think that teams that work together harmoniously are better and more productive than teams that don’t. But in a study we conducted on symphonies, we actually found that grumpy orchestras played together slightly better than orchestras in which all the musicians were really quite happy.
That’s because the cause-and-effect is the reverse of what most people believe: When we’re productive and we’ve done something good together (and are recognized for it), we feel satisfied, not the other way around. In other words, the mood of the orchestra members after a performance says more about how well they did than the mood beforehand.
The mood of the orchestra members after a performance says more about how well they did than the mood beforehand.
Need for deviant’s on teams
If teams need to stay together to achieve the best performance, how do you prevent them from becoming complacent?
This is where what I call a deviant comes in. Every team needs a deviant, someone who can help the team by challenging the tendency to want too much homogeneity, which can stifle creativity and learning. Deviants are the ones who stand back and say, “Well, wait a minute, why are we even doing this at all?
Every team needs a deviant, someone who says, “Why are we even doing this at all?”
Having each other’s backs
A team is a group of people that cover for each other - by cover we mean that we look out for each other.
Things to strive for in a team
- Psychological safety - can we take risks in this team without feeling insecure or embarassed.
- Dependability - Can we count on each other to do high quality work on time.
- Structure & Clarity - Are goals, roles, and execution plans on our team clear.
- Meaning of work - Are we working on something that is personally important for each of us.
- Impact of work - Do we fundamentally believe that the work we’re doing matters.
The five keys to a successful Google team
