Five keys to having an effective work team by Google

A Google human resources group conducted a study to answer the question What makes a Google team effective?

Next we will see what the results were

Team members feel safe taking risks and being vulnerable in front of others.

The team gets the job done and has the talent to execute that job.

Team members have clear roles, plans and goals.

The work is personally important to team members.

Team members think their work matters and creates change.

If you answered yes to the previous 5 questions, congratulations, you are in a high performance team. If you don't talk to your teammates or leader to try to foster this environment, it will help them to really focus on what is important, improving several things, such as having better communication between collaborators, working in a structured way, etc.

Psychological safety was by far the most important of the five dynamics we found; it is the base of the other four. How is it possible? Taking risks with your team members seems simple. But remember the last time you were working on a project. Did you feel like you could ask what the goal was without running the risk of sounding like you were the only one out of the loop? Or did you choose to continue without clarifying anything, so as not to be perceived as ignorant?

It turns out that we are all reluctant to engage in behaviors that could negatively influence how others perceive our competence, conscientiousness, and positivity. Although this type of self-protection is a natural strategy in the workplace, it is detrimental to effective teamwork. On the other hand, the safer team members feel with each other, the more likely they are to admit mistakes, partner up, and take on new roles. And it affects just about every important dimension we look at for employees.

People in teams with higher psychological safety are less likely to leave Google, more likely to harness the power of diverse ideas from their teammates, generate more revenue, and are rated twice as effective by executives.

This includes being able to make mistakes without fear of being punished for it, being able to give opinions without fear of being repressed regarding that opinion, basically feeling safe.

This article was based on a study by a Google human resources group, titled What Makes a Google Team Effective?