What makes teams productive?
I just finished listening to an incredible Freakonomics podcast entitled “How to be more productive”. I wanted to share with you the lessons learned by senior vice president of People Operations at Google, Laszlo Bock, on how teams can be more happy and productive.
Laszlo Bock states what matters most is not whose on the team, but how the team interacts. Psychological safety was the most important factor determining which teams were most satisfied. Psychological safety refers to a teams ability to interact with each other without fear of being shunned. Each team member feels they can be open, offer new ideas, and their team members are listening. Team members feel they can give input and be supported not be undermined.
Laszlo Bock’s 5 Key Characteristics of Great Teams
- Dependability
- Meaning
- Impact
- Clarity
- Structure
Dependability
If you ask a team member to do something you know they will get the job done. The same goes for those who mention they are going to do something. You know they will hold their word.
Meaning
Any work someone does should have personal meaning to them. If you invested yourself in your own work you take pride in what you produce. A business partner could ask for an enhancement. This is your chance to write clear clean concise code. Take meaning that you will produce the best code possible.
Impact
Great teams want to have an impact. It’s important to a team to feel the work they are doing is making a change. The larger and more positive impact, the more fulfilled each individual team member will feel.
Clarity
There has a to be a clear intent behind why you are asking someone to do something. It is better to explain why things are necessary then just assign tasks. Giving each team member clear expectations, team structure, task assignments, and roles will help a team become more efficient and satisfied.
Structure
There has to be defined roles on a team. I believe in a software development those roles should overlap. Someone can be in charge of builds and another in charge of task assignments. But all team members should understand the job of each other and be able to fill any role at any time.
Conclusion
If you remember one thing from this research done by Google it’s that psychological safety is the most important factor in a having a happy team. There is a difference between a happy team and a productive team. You hope your happy teams are also productive. By fostering a healthy team culture of helping each other and learning a happy team can also become a productive team.
