TEAM BUILDING

While allowing something amazing to evolve...

Time and again through history we have found that groups of people can do amazing things when they have a special kind of relationship and common goal. The Google Work Project's biggest failure is testament to that fact that even though we do have history to learn from, there are still many that think technology and young minds are always going to find the best way. Ironically, the name of Google's Aristotle Project was the answer the lead team of Google’s People Operations (Human Resources) had been looking for in what it took to build the best team.

You have to give them credit from turning their failure into one of the biggest publicity stunts in the history of the company, suffice to say, none of their number-crunching, super computer calculations and hundreds of interviews resulted in anything but a dead blank. The answers started coming to them from books written by those they have not revealed...

They started coming across research by psychologists and sociologists that focused on what are known as "group norms" - the traditions, behavioral standards, and unwritten rules that govern how teams function when they gather... Norms can be unspoken or openly acknowledged, but their influence is often profound. Inc.com

A group of so-called average people can outperform even the best of the best, because group performance has little to do with the individual talent. It has a lot do with the nature of the group. Most adults already know this. We know this as an old saying, a very old saying in fact; Aristotle himself said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  In effect, teams perform well beyond their perceived potential when they were secure and comfortable. Google's lead team created an initial 5 characteristics of enhanced teams, with the 5th obviously being the one that was paramount - psychological safety. Now that really doesn't come as a surprise, does it, for people to perform well together. 

Team building can take your organisation way beyond what you probably believe is possible. And for your digital marketing to be a success, you will need that team.