The Hidden Benefit of Keeping Teams Intact
is an extremely insightful article that appears in the December 2013
issue of Harvard Business Review. The authors, Robert Huckman and
Bradley Staats, share “Most managers underestimate the power of
familiarity. Managers understand intuitively that team familiarity – the
amount of experience individuals have working with one another – can
influence how a group performs.”
Oxford University professor, David Upton, conducted
a study at software firm, Wipro and examined 1,004 development projects
that involved 11,376 employees. They analyzed detailed personnel
records to determine which employees had worked together before and to
what extent. They also observed how well each team performed, using
criteria such as number of defects in the software each produced, and
groups’ adherence to deadlines and budgets.
At Wipro, a 50% increase in team familiarity was
followed by a 19% decrease in defects and 30% decrease in deviations
from budget.
Teams, departments, and working groups work more effectively as their members become familiar with one another.
It’s important to understand the characteristics of
each individual team member. How does each team member work? How do you
work as a manager? Knowing the characteristics and behaviors of team
dynamics will allow you as a manager to better understand, relate to,
and have a positive influence on your team.
When behavioral characteristics clash, this could possible cause conflict. So what is your first step?
The first step is to gain awareness. Make a
commitment to provide the tools and actionable data your leaders and
teams need to increase team awareness.
article appeared in Profiles International Workplace 101 Blog
Author: John Bradford
Contact Parsley Performance Solutions at 888-332-6409 to learn how you can help your managers and leaders coach more effectively!
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