How do you create high functioning teams in the workplace? How can you best leverage the talents that employees bring to the table? Google set out to answer those very questions by turning their formidable data analysis skills on their own workforce. As reported by the New York Times, Google’s Project Aristotle set out to analyze the highest functioning teams at Google to try and find out how they tick, and the results reveal the unique importance of diversity and inclusion in the modern workplace.
Project Aristotle found that, contrary to accepted wisdom, high
functioning teams do not exist simply because they are stacked with the best
people. As explained by one of the
Project Aristotle architects, “there
was nothing showing that a mix of specific personality types or skills or
backgrounds made any difference. The ‘who’ part of the equation didn’t seem to
matter.’’
Instead of focusing on the “who” of the team, Project
Aristotle found that looking at the “how” of the teams yielded the most
interesting information: how teams communicated and supported each other made
all the difference in whether teams were high functioning or not. Most interestingly, the teams that performed
the best created and maintained an environment where team members each felt
comfortable contributing, and felt that their contributions were heard and
valued. This fostered an environment
where every team member felt safe being his or her whole self, and this sense
of safety was critical to creating thriving teams.
We exist in an increasingly demanding work environment,
where technology and the demands of the modern marketplace require employees to
be “always on.” As a result, the
boundaries between our “work selves” and our “life selves” have become so
porous as to be functionally non-existent. To add to this, our culture as a whole has put
an increasing importance on the value of authenticity, the ability to be our
whole selves in any given situation.
These realities were reinforced by the findings of Project Aristotle. As explained by Charles Duhigg in the New
York Times article, “What
Project Aristotle has taught people within Google is that no one wants to put
on a ‘‘work face’’ when they get to the office. No one wants to leave part of
their personality and inner life at home.”
In order to be successful, organizations need to find ways
to facilitate a safe environment for their employees to bring their whole
selves to the workplace. Welcome to the
modern era of diversity and inclusion. Building
on previous rights-based models of equal opportunity regardless of gender or
ethnicity, the contemporary understanding of diversity and inclusion has
expanded to encompass diversity in thought, background, and experiences. And the most successful workplaces find ways
to foster this broad understanding of diversity among its employees.
The value of diversity and inclusion efforts has been
recognized and reinforced by current
research. For example, a 2015 Bersin by
Deloitte study found that companies that link diversity and inclusion
efforts to business goals statistically outperform their peers. And
Millennials, the up and coming labor force, place a high value on working
for companies with a strong focus on diversity initiatives and inclusive
environments. Simply put, diversity and
inclusion make for successful workplaces, both in the present moment and
looking towards the future.
As Project Aristotle illustrates, when organizations find
ways to allow their employees to bring their whole, diverse selves to the
table, the workplace benefits. This allows organizations to access a deeper bench
of talent: innovation thrives when everyone is able to share their diverse
opinions and ideas. And this leads to
higher functioning teams and more productive and successful workplaces.
So how do organizations create the kinds of environments
where the whole self is welcome? By
taking actions to foster diversity and inclusion. This includes training leadership and
employees in cultural competency, effective communication, developing empathy
and making respect a fundamental part of any organizational culture. Building
trust in the workplace is another key element. And working with a trained workplace mediator
to help effectively handle and resolve conflict when it arises helps ensure
that organizations can best leverage the opportunities of a diverse and
inclusive workplace.
High functioning workplaces exist when employees feel like
their whole selves are seen, heard and respected. Diversity and inclusion initiatives provide a
critical roadmap to help organizations create the environments needed for workplaces to
thrive.
