Teamwork

Teamwork

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." (Michael Jordan)

In today's technological world, full of competition, the prevalent work method for facing challenges is teamwork. The idea behind teamwork is maintaining motivation, mutual support, and healthy competition to develop a sense of achievement and desire to meet goals. Although the use of teams is not a new concept, the requirement to assemble highly effective and synchronized teams continues to raise relevant questions today such as - what makes a good team? What is the right balance between skills and personal characteristics that make a team professional and highly capable? How do we maintain high motivation and drive for action?

In an attempt to answer these and other questions, researchers Driskell and Salas (1992) began to study the topic of individual personality components and their impact on team performance. However, their research was conducted in laboratory conditions (sterile room) and did not accurately simulate the work environment. Furthermore, until recent years, many studies examining the relationship between personality and group effectiveness yielded ambiguous results due to a basic disagreement on the definition of personality and how to measure it, which often created overlaps in experiments and results.

The development of the BIG 5 model, which divides personality traits into five core traits, (sample report: https://logipass.net/en/reports?tab=6) enabled the creation of a universal conceptual framework based on a common and understandable language, and accepted results in the research world. Many studies began to use the Big 5 model as a terminological platform in experiments examining personality, and a clear experimental space began to form.

After clarifying how to evaluate individual personality, the important question arose - how do we measure personality traits within a team?

In the research of Neuman, Wagner, and Christiansen (1999), group traits were examined through two personality dimensions that exist within a team. The first dimension, TPE - team personality elevation, means the average level of a team in a specific trait or set of traits. For example, a high TPE level of extroversion means that the concentration of extroversion trait in the team as a unit is high. In other words, people will be sociable, talkative, and assertive. Note that this does not mean that all team members have a uniform level of extroversion, but rather, the common average is high and composed of people with different levels of the same trait.

Another dimension examining personality traits in a team is TPD - team personality diversity. Teams receiving a high score in TPD are described as heterogeneous (diverse), while teams with a low TPD score are characterized by homogeneity (uniformity). Here too, we qualify by saying that high and low scores do not make the team better or worse, and the composition of traits that will allow the highest productivity depends on the nature and type of the task.

[1] Barrick, M. R., Stewart, G. L., Neubert, M. J.,& Mount, M. K. (1998).

[1] For more information on the Big 5 model and its division into core traits.https://logipass.net/en/blog/the-big-five

For example - a team with a high homogeneity score will be characterized by similar thinking and thus will communicate more easily, be more synchronized, and have higher motivation to work together. Homogeneous team members in their thinking assume the same level of responsibility for the work to be done, and this in turn will increase productivity. On the other hand, a team characterized by more heterogeneity will yield more creative ability and introduce important doubt for authentic, questioning, and self-aware work.

The advantage of a heterogeneous team is in the composition of unique traits that each team member brings to the project. Another advantage relates to the division of roles within a team - within a heterogeneous team, the division of roles will be more tailored according to the different traits and hierarchy existing in the team. There are people who feel comfortable leading and there are people who prefer to take more secondary roles within the group. Diversity is important because a completely homogeneous team where everyone is extroverted can create a situation of power struggles and actually lower productivity, or conversely, a homogeneous team where all team members are introverted will create a leadership vacuum.

Empirically, there is little consensus on which specific traits affect team results the most. An important point to consider when examining traits within a team is the "type of task." Different organizations produce different products, and the use of teamwork is done throughout the "product life" - from idea generation to shelf arrangement. Each team receives a different type of task that affects differently the trait compositions of teams that bring high productivity. For example, a task aimed at increasing the percentage of sales will create a different trait circle than a cognitive task aimed at raising awareness. A team selling a product will need high levels of extroversion and agreeableness than a team developing a product, where more openness to experience and conscious thinking will be needed.

In a study conducted by Neuman et al. (1999) in the United States, 82 teams of four people per team were examined. The experiment also divided the teams according to three types of tasks - social (approach and greet customers), persuasion (negotiating priorities with others), logical (counting, sorting, sticking, and inventorying).

The experiment found that team effectiveness is higher when the PTD level is high, meaning, the personality of team members is diverse and each member makes a unique contribution to the team. Additionally, when examining traits of "extroversion" and "emotional stability," traits related to leadership, it was found that "diverse" teams function more efficiently than "homogeneous" teams in these traits, due to comfortable role division within the group.

When looking at different types of tasks, it was found that a task requiring team interaction (reciprocity), as opposed to individual tasks (working alone), increases the need for traits of acceptance and communication, because team members need to communicate frequently to complete the task. Similarly, tasks requiring persuasion and negotiation will require traits of ability to connect and collaborate with other team members.

In conclusion, teamwork has advantages and disadvantages, but in order to achieve accurate results, there is the possibility to look at the traits of team members and what creates synergy between them. We qualify again by saying that the composition of traits that will bring the highest productivity depends on the type of work, type of product, and quality of communication required within the team.

Want to explore further on your own? Logipass company enables getting a more complete picture of skills and personality traits, so you understand who you are within the team or what kind of person you're looking for to be part of it.

Barrick, M. R., Stewart, G. L., Neubert, M. J., & Mount, M. K. (1998). Relating member ability and personality to work-team processes and team effectiveness. Journal of applied psychology, 83(3), 377.

Neuman, G. A., Wagner, S. H., & Christiansen, N. D. (1999). The relationship between work-team personality composition and the job performance of teams. Group & Organization Management, 24(1), 28-45.

By: Daniel Danino