Page 176 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

The Power of “We” to Magnify Engagement C163

large, virtual, diverse, and composed of highly educated specialists are
increasingly crucial with challenging projects, those same four char-
acteristics make it hard for them to get anything done.” 1
Many complex tasks in today’s global business environment de-
mand that teams of 100 or more geographically dispersed people col-
laborate on complex projects. Gratton and Erickson observe that “as
the size of a team increases beyond 20 members, the tendency to col-
laborate naturally decreases.” They also warn of increasing declines
in team collaboration as the number of virtual members increases, as
their views and backgrounds are less similar, as there is less mutual fa-
miliarity, and as the more highly educated and expert the team mem-
bers are. The authors go on to report factors that enable companies to
overcome the built-in obstacles to team effectiveness, including:

: Executives making highly visible investments that contribute
to collaboration, such as open floor plans or new communication
technologies
: Creating a “gift culture” in which senior leaders give freely of their
time to mentor and coach employees and new hires
: Making sure HR trains all employees in the requisite skills—
effective communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution
: Building on “heritage” relationships by always having a few
people on the team who know each other or have previously worked
together on teams

: OTHER TEAM FACTORS TO CONSIDER

In addition to the obstacles to team effectiveness already discussed,
there are a few others that leaders and managers need to consider:

Team versus Individual Incentives
Many companies still haven’t achieved the right balance between
individual rewards and rewards for the achievement of team and