If you followed the reporting back in February about the Google Aristotle Project you now understand yet another way 'culture eats strategy for breakfast.'
In a nutshell: When Google wanted to isolate what it was that made teams effective (or not) they studied hundreds of them across the entire company.
What they found is facinating...
The number one most important ingredient to a team's success was not how experienced the team was, how alike or friendly it's members, or even how intelligent the individuals were... No, the most important ingredient was social safety - or, how people felt about working together.
If there was trust, if people were able to be vulnerable with each other, if people truly believed their teammates had their backs... then they actually accomplished more together.
Imagine if you will how different peoples' experience of their work is when they are part of a high-trust team. They feel safe with each other, they treat each other with respect and care, and they are able to see the whole unit as important and work for the greater good, not just their own self interest. Additionally, mistakes are identified and fixed early on, stress can be more easily released, and the greater intelligence of the whole group can be tapped and enjoyed in a less-competitive, more supportive work environment.
Again and again I've witnessed the amazing things that are possible for teams to accomplish together when they are driven by a sense of mutual purpose and enjoy a strong sense of internal cohesion. I've seen groups establish themselves and hit the ground running...
They have successfully worked for smart solutions to homelessness; they have changed their community's response to illiteracy and joblessness; they have successfully advocated for transportation infrastructure and policy that prioritizes bicycles; they have inspired the Army CORPS of Engineer's first ever restoration project - prioritizing river health and public access on within the urban watershed... and more!
Such motivated teams can truly move mountains, even though they may be composed of non-experts, laypeople and community volunteers...
And this is why I say 'Don't Just Wish for It, Work for It.'​ There are things we can do to foster social safety and build strong teams. However, we need to do them. It is too important to leave this up to chance.
The process of creating social safety and deep commitment within a group is something I've studied for years. Today I am excited to be supporting a diverse range of organizations in building their own unique ways of working together knowing that doing so leads to breakthroughs down the road.. be it in business or in community-based initiatives.
So, I have a question for you... What was your most functional team experience? (A work team, a community group, board, or other.) What specifically made it special? Please share it below. (And... if you would like to contrast it with one that was just awful, that would be especially interesting!) I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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