The 5 Keys to High Performance Teams - The Google Way

Have you ever wondered why some teams are innovative and engaged and some just fail? Google spent several years studying more than 180 teams. Charles Duhigg summarizes the findings in his 2017 book "Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive". The most successful teams share these 5 traits:

1. Psychological Safety - Team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other.
2. Dependability - Team members get things done on time and meet high bars of excellence.
3. Structure & Clarity - Team members have clear roles, plans, and goals.
4. Meaning - Work is personally important to team members.
5. Impact - Team members think their work matters and creates change.

Each team member needs to know he/she can express themselves without being criticized or personally attacked. Psychological safety might be less efficient in the short run, but it’s more productive over time. Once, psychological safety is given, it is important that teammates can rely on each other. Therefore it helps, that they have clear goals and defined roles. In order to achieve performance, a team member needs to understand and believe how that their work is important and personally meaningful. Finally, they need to have the means to make their own decisions about how best to complete their assignments.

Read more on the Google Re:Work team & leadership findings here: rework.withgoogle.com