A study on team performance by Google revealed a sobering finding: the best teams were not the most intelligent or experienced but the ones that had a higher percentage of "weak" players - those who scored in the lower third of their peer group. This may seem counterintuitive, given the assumption that high-performing teams are comprised of superstars who can dominate every aspect of the task at hand. However, this assumption overlooks the crucial role that social cohesion plays in team success. When teams are made up of high-achievers, they often experience overconfidence, which can lead to an excessive focus on individual contributions and a lack of coordination. In contrast, teams with a mix of strong and weak players foster a culture of dependency and communication, which, in turn, leads to better collaboration and results. As a result, managers who prioritize assembling "A-teams" may inadvertently create obstacles to effective teamwork.
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Human Performance & Leadership
The Counterintuitive Reason High-Performing Teams Fail to Deliver
For 7 years, Netflix's billion-dollar decision looked catastrophic.
Key insights
Diverse teams with a mix of strong and weak players can foster a culture of dependency and communication, leading to better collaboration and results.
Overconfidence in high-performing teams can lead to an excessive focus on individual contributions and a lack of coordination.
Social cohesion is a crucial factor in team success, often overlooked in favor of individual intelligence and experience.
Go deeper
This study was conducted by Google's People Analytics team, led by Douglas Edwards, and published in the Google Re:Work series. The study analyzed data from over 200 teams across Google to identify the key factors that contribute to high-performing teams. The findings were based on a 5-year dataset and involved over 1,000 team members.
This study highlights the importance of social cohesion in team performance, a concept also relevant in the context of organizational change management. Effective change implementation requires a high degree of collaboration and communication among team members, making social cohesion a critical factor in ensuring successful transitions.