Given their importance to our working lives, we might imagine that we would want our colleagues to be highly competent.  Alas, that’s not what research from Binghamton University says, with people instead seeming to prefer colleagues who are trustworthy and likable.

When it comes to picking team members, the study found that while things like competence are important, they’re not as important as one’s trustworthiness and friendliness.

“We assume that people are selected for important task forces and teams because of the knowledge, skills and abilities they bring to the table. However, this research suggests that people may often get picked because team members feel comfortable with them,” the researchers say. “People may be willing to sacrifice a bit in terms of performance in order to have a really positive team experience.”

Ideal teammates

The researchers recruited volunteers who were randomly assigned to teams to work on various projects, at the end of which they were asked to form their own teams while also explaining why they chose the people they did.  The idea was to assess whether people were signaling that they’d be a good team member in some way.

There was a particular focus given to the signaling of human capital, which is concerned with their competence and ability to do tasks well, and also their social capital, which concerns itself with things like one’s trustworthiness and friendliness.

The researchers did this by examining whether participants used either a supportive voice or a challenging voice.  When we use a supportive voice, we communicate in a way that helps us to build trust and social bonds.  When we talk in a challenging voice, we’re more likely to challenge the status quo and explore new ideas and efficiency.

What people want

The analysis found that when people were able to exhibit both the challenging voice and the supportive voice, that was the ideal combination, and such people were in high demand by their peers.

“As might be expected, anyone who was very strong in terms of signaling both their human and social capital were extremely sought after. They’re doing all the right things to establish that they’re both trustworthy and a good worker,” the researchers explain.

If no such people existed, however, then it appears that people would rather people were friendly and supportive than challenging and innovative.  The findings suggest that even if people aren’t the most competent in the room, if they can be trusted then people are likely to want to work with them as the likelihood of any interpersonal issues will be reduced.

The authors believe that their findings have significant implications for the workplace, not least in terms of how teams should be constructed if managers want them to be productive and harmonious.

“Having a positive reputation for good work goes a long way, but so does just being a good person. People want to work with those who they feel comfortable with,” they say. “You should be using supportive voice to show others that you’re someone your colleagues can trust, especially if you’re new to an organization or still developing your skill set.”

What’s more, they believe that despite their data being collected before the Covid pandemic, the findings are arguably even more relevant in an era that is likely to see a rise in remote or hybrid work arrangements.

“Without those in-person interactions, people have less time to be able to make decisions and assessments about coworkers. You may only be seeing them on Zoom meetings,” the researchers conclude. “You really need to speak up in both constructive and supportive ways to make your human and social capital signals apparent whenever you’re working with people virtually, especially if you’re looking for future team opportunities.”