Much of the work done at Google, and in many organizations, is done collaboratively by teams. The team is the molecular unit where real production happens, where innovative ideas are conceived and tested, and where employees experience most of their work. But it’s also where interpersonal issues, ill-suited skill sets, and unclear group goals can hinder productivity and cause friction.  Google researchers sought o discover the secrets of effective teams at Google. Code-named Project Aristotle - a tribute to Aristotle’s quote, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (as the Google researchers believed employees can do more working together than alone) - the goal was to answer the question: “What makes a team effective at Google?”   Read about the researchers behind the work in The New York Times: What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team as well as the leading findings.

After a high-level review of the research and findings, we will explore our own observations as to how the findings may influence a range of arenas including - team building interventions, our work with Boards of Directors and/or collaboratives, as well as our own project consulting teams.  

You can also review tools and template developed by Google informed by their work here: https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness/steps/introduction/.