When we sense a high performing team, that perception is not coming from out of the blue. This sense is a result of our innate ability to process the interactions we observe. These interactions are the communication clues that team members are constantly sending and receiving. Communication clues include things such as tone of voice, gestures, talking, listening, interruptions, head nods, levels of extroversion, how much people talk and empathy to name a few.
According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review entitled “The New Science of Building Great Teams”, great team work is observable, measurable and learnable. Research by MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory identified three aspects of communication that affect team performance. These three key elements of communication are:
- Energy – how members contribute to a team as a whole
- Engagement – how team members communicate with one another
- Exploration – how teams communicate with one another
Over the next three weeks, we will examine each of these key elements in this article. Next week: “Energy – How Members Contribute to a Team as a Whole”
*(Source: Harvard Business Review, “The New Science of Building Great Teams”, by Alex “Sandy” Pentland)
