{"id":510,"date":"2010-01-21T10:43:30","date_gmt":"2010-01-21T18:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.noomii.com\/?p=510"},"modified":"2013-06-03T22:14:42","modified_gmt":"2013-06-04T05:14:42","slug":"a-scientifically-proven-way-to-improve-business-team-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.noomii.com\/blog\/?p=510","title":{"rendered":"A Scientifically Proven Way to Improve Business Team Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

As coaches, we often find ourselves working with clients in middle or upper management positions who are responsible for improving the performance of business teams.<\/p>\n

Browsing through the Management section of the bookstore reveals literally hundreds of titles dedicated to this very subject. Throughout the decades, these books have recommended everything from incentive-based performance bonuses to teambuilding river rafting trips.<\/p>\n

\"creating<\/p>\n

But which ones really work? Which factors should a manager work on \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 compensation, work-life balance, communication skills? Should a manager take his team on a week-long trek through the Himalayas, or simply increase salaries by ten percent?<\/p>\n

\"Marcial

Marcial Losada<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

Brazilian psychologist Marcial Losada has been studying this issue for the past 20 years, and unlike most business gurus who claim to know the answer, he has applied the scientific approach to finding the answer. And the answer, it turns out, comes down to just three factors. That is, there are three things that high-performing teams do differently from low-performing teams.<\/p>\n

Losada\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s approach is to watch and record statements made by a given business team as they interact with each other over a period of time \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 usually one or two hours \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 to solve a specific business problem. Losada and his team of assistants then record each and every statement made by the team members. These statements are then coded according to where they fit along three dimensions: inquiry-advocacy, self-other, and positive-negative.<\/p>\n

1. Inquiry-advocacy<\/strong> refers to whether the person is making a recommendation or asking a question. For example, the statement \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cI think we should spend more on marketing\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d would be coded as an advocacy statement, whereas \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cShould we spend more on marketing or on development?\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d would be coded as an inquiry statement.<\/p>\n

2. Self-other<\/strong> refers to whether the statement is about the speaker or about someone else. So \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cI think my office is too small\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d would be a self statement, while \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cOur customers want lower prices\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d would be an other statement.<\/p>\n

3. Positive-negative<\/strong> refers to, not surprisingly, whether a statement is sarcastic, mean-spirited, etc, or complimentary, supportive, etc. So the statement \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cThat\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s the worst idea I\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve ever heard\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d would be coded as negative, while \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cI love your idea!\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d would be coded as positive.<\/p>\n

After studying hundreds of small business teams over thousands of hours, Losada has discovered that the best-performing teams (in terms of objective criteria like profitability and meeting deadlines) have a greater ratio of inquiry versus advocacy, other versus self, and positive versus negative statements [1<\/a>]. Specifically, the \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201coptimal\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d teams had ratios of about 1-to-1 for inquiry-advocacy and self-other, and just over 5-to-1 for positivity-negativity.<\/p>\n

Figure 1, below, shows the different ratios for high, medium, and low-performing teams [2<\/a>].
\n\"Team<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that if you\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2re working with a client who\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s trying to improve performance on a business team, you need to focus on improving the way they communicate with each other. More specifically, you should focus on improving the above ratios of positivity-negativity, other-self, and inquiry-advocacy.<\/p>\n

Is your company looking for a Business or Team Coach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Noomii’s coach directory has hundreds of coaches specializing in a variety of areas. Try one of these links to find a business coach<\/a> or a team coach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not sure who to hire? Give us a call toll free 1-800-278-1057<\/strong> and one of our coaching experts can give you a personal recommendation.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>1. Losada’s research findings can be found in The Role of Positivity and Connectivity in the Performance of Business Teams: A Nonlinear Dynamics Model<\/a> published in American Behavioral Scientist<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a>2. The table provided can also be found in the research paper referenced in Note #1 above.<\/p>\n

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