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