Maximising Performance through Team Selection
The effectiveness of teams is absolutely vital to the success of today's organisations. This month we review a chapter by Allen and West (2005) which highlights the increased complexity and size of organisations and, therefore, the closer coordination required through teamwork to achieve objectives. Many tasks have become more complicated and thus a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities are needed if they are to be performed successfully. Such qualities are rarely found in one person alone, the tasks are only likely to be performed effectively with the right team of people in place.
We consider what organisations can do to ensure the right team members are selected to optimise performance.
Measuring Individual Qualities
One way of selecting for teams is to identify those individuals who are best suited to work in teams. That is, do they have the qualities and skills that lend themselves to effective teamwork? For example, many organisations use competency frameworks to select individuals. Within the framework, there may be a 'teamworking' competency which measures how an individual supports other team members, shares knowledge with them and so on.
There is evidence to suggest that these 'teamwork' characteristics help predict individual performance in teams. However, measuring individual qualities is unlikely to be enough if organisations want to get the most out of their teams. As Allen & West state, "this approach does not typically involve a consideration of the nature of the team, the particular tasks a team undertakes or who else is part of the team". Organisations may also want to consider the ideal 'mix' of people in order for the team to perform at its best.
Identifying the Right Mix of People
When organisations are selecting new team members should they choose those people with similar qualities to current team members or opt for a diverse mix? There is evidence that argues for and against heterogeneity within teams, for example that heterogeneity will provide a wider range of views and perspectives and therefore will enhance performance. The other side of coin is that heterogeneity will increase team process difficulties (e.g. interpersonal difficulties) and therefore diminish performance.
So, to explore further, we have considered the different aspects in which people might differ:
Skill/Ability Mix
The research suggests that organisations need to identify what the team is seeking to achieve before ascertaining the benefits of homogeneous vs. heterogeneous characteristics. For example, an organisation is likely to need a mix of professional skills at Board level, but exactly the same skills for a team who are all doing the same thing, such as call-centre staff.
More specific examples include a study which found that strategic management initiatives were more likely to be made by groups that were heterogeneous with respect to educational specialisation. Another study showed that groups that include both diverse and overlapping knowledge domains and skills are particularly creative.
So, it is critical that organisations are clear on the objectives of the team in order to decide what skills are needed and whether all members require the same skills or whether a mix of skills is called for.
Personality Mix
Measuring personality for team selection is more complex than for individual performance because consideration needs to be given to the demands of the role, the team objectives and compatibility with other team members.
Much research has been conducted to identify what personality types work best together and what mix of personalities is needed for a team to be effective. Once again, it is clear from the research that the 'right mix' is dependent on the purpose and tasks of the team. Different personality characteristics are important for different team tasks. However, studies have also shown that some personality traits can have a consistent impact across tasks. Of particular interest are the following findings commented on by Allen and West (2005):
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There is evidence to suggest that a team member with a very low score on 'conscientiousness' (Big Five personality trait*) will have an impact on team performance by acting as the 'weakest link', constraining team performance by his/her low degree of conscientiousness (Barrick et al, 1998).
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Teams that did not have either any particularly disagreeable or introverted (Big Five Personality traits*) members were found to be high performing teams.
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Team performance was higher among teams that had only a moderate proportion of high extraversion members (Barry and Stewart, 1997).
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Belbin** suggests that a balance of team personality types is required for team effectiveness. However, Allen and West note that there is little evidence to support these predictions.
So, first of all, organisations need to be clear on what teams, not just individuals, are expected to contribute to the organisation's strategy. Once a team's key objectives have been identified this information can be used as a significant aid to selection. Secondly, whatever the team objectives, organisations should be aware of the importance of considering personality mixes when designing teams.
How can Human Assets Help?
Human Assets is a firm of business psychologists and we are experts in choosing, developing and engaging people.
We help organisations define the qualities critical to team and individual success and then select people against these criteria. Taking into account what the team must achieve, we recommend the right mix of heterogeneity versus homogeneity on key characteristics. We also work with established teams to improve productivity and effectiveness. This includes team profiling, examining the strengths and weaknesses of the team and carrying out development work tailored to the team's objectives.
Human Assets is independent of test publishers and so we will only recommend tools that are most relevant to your requirements.
If you would like to find out more, please contact our consultants on +44(0)20 7434 2122, or by email at enquiries@humanassets.co.uk.
*The 'Big Five' otherwise known as the 'Five-Factor' Personality model is based on the idea that five main dimensions are necessary and sufficient for broadly describing human personality. The factors are: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
**Belbin identified nine team roles (e.g. Shaper, Implementer, and Completer Finisher), which comprise certain patterns of behaviour that can, according to Belbin, be adopted naturally by the various personality types found among people at work.
References
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, 377-391.
Barry, B., & Stewart, G.L. (1997). Composition, process and performance in self-managed groups: The role of personality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 62-78.
Newsletter: November 2005