There are many seminal studies done by various organizations – academic and corporate entities to find the secret sauce that makes a team effective.
Google conducted its famous “Project Aristotle” that studied almost 180 teams across 2 years while there are several studies by HBR, McKinsey, etc. Each of these studies throws up information that is similar or adjacent to each other in terms of what a manager should do to enhance Team Output.
One critical aspect that requires lot more attention in current times is “Interdependence”
Interdependence is something every team member must acknowledge and appreciate as a key contributor to higher team output. And how does a manager drive awareness of interdependence amongst team members?
A perfect example of a team that has high appreciation for Interdependence is a F1 pit stop team. How did the pitstop team in a F1 circuit achieve this high level of understanding of interdependence?
Foundations for higher team output:
If you would like to visualise your team to be similar to the F1 pit stop team, here are some points to ponder:
Role: Does your team have clarity in the roles played by each individual. Whether specialist or generalist, role clarity sets the right expectation from an individual on what is expected from them. Apart from understanding the role for oneself, its also important to understand how they can contribute to others being successful. Remember, there are 3 people to change each tyre and they perfectly choreograph their tasks to ensure collective success.
Enablement: The 3 people engaged in changing each tyre have put in hours of practice to perfect the art of changing the tyre in 2 seconds. That’s right, before you complete reading this sentence, the tyre has been changed!! Does your team have the right training to enable them to be successful?
Purpose: And why are they doing this? Just to put the car back on the race track? To claim a record for the fastest tyre change? The real “why” is to win the race. That is the purpose of the team and they are committed to that purpose. Does your team have clarity on the “purpose” for which they are working. Are they bound to it?
Once these foundational elements of Interdependence are set, the next step for a manager would be to spot the characteristics of each person on the team and nurture behaviours that would maximise team output. What characteristics of a team member should a manager spot to maximise their output?
Team Characteristics | Behaviours to Drive |
Authority (A): Identify individuals on the team that have authority!! Its not what you think. Authority is not to be seen in the context of power or position in the team. Its about expertise. Is there a subject matter expert on the team who commands respect for their knowledge he or she possesses. | A good practice for any manager would be to set expectations with such experts to be the beacon for the team and guide them as needed. More importantly, groom the next expert.
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Follower (F): There are many trusted lieutenants who seek the reassuring guidance from a peer or an expert and follow their steps. These are dependable work horses who have understood the purpose and believe in 100% commitment to get the job done. | A manager should treat them as “adults” and step back from “telling” them what to do. Rather, the manager should help them with prioritization of the work to be done while reiterating the purpose of the work. |
Negotiator (N): There is no fun at work if there isn’t a crisis. Spot the rebels who question the status quo, think differently with divergent views and are always looking to learn from a challenge or crisis. | A manager must maintain total transparency with such individuals to help them negotiate around all tight spots. Put them on the spot light and ask them to lead the team in an hour of crisis. Show vulnerability to help them understand the seriousness of the issue being handled. These individuals will thrive in such situations and find the right solutions. That is why they are negotiators. |
Exiters (X): Nay sayers should never be ignored. | Be inclusive and hear them out. A manager’s key job is in ensuring that those with exit mindset have understood the “why” of the work being done and remove impediments to help them be successful. After all, they are part of the team as well. |
So, whats the secret sauce to maximise Team Output? Here it is:
To maximise team output, a manger should set the foundations of Purpose, Role Clarity and Enablement and drive behaviours with all the As, Fs, Ns and Xs to help the team not just change tyres in record time, but to win the race!!
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