Understanding Team Effectiveness
Source: Google
Published: September 2016
Understanding Team Effectiveness
Circulated: April 15, 2020
Researchers at Google sought out to answer “What makes a team effective at Google?” They found that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together. In order of importance:
Psychological safety: team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other.
Dependability: team members get things done on time and insist on high quality standards.
Structure: team members have clear roles, plans, and goals.
Meaning: work is personally important to team members.
Impact: team members think their work matters and creates change.
Variables not significantly connected to team effectiveness:
Colocation of teammates (sitting together in the same office)
Consensus-driven decision making
Seniority
Team size
Tenure