In our increasingly complex world, it’s crucial that teams are able to communicate and collaborate effectively. Fundamental to a team’s success is good leadership, but in a world in which teams can be in-person, virtual, and everything in between, leadership is far from straightforward.
Research from Rutgers highlights the key role leaders play in the success of a team, with the researchers discovering that leaders were often the biggest predictor of team effectiveness than any other factor, including both the individual capabilities of team members and the team diversity.
This is important, as the likes of Scott Page have long argued that thought diversity is crucial to the success of groups. Alas, research from the University of Buffalo found that these diverse teams can often struggle to communicate, especially in the early days of a project when team members are getting to know one another.
The Rutgers team examined 10 interdisciplinary working groups that were working on a major child health initiative. The analysis revealed that those teams with a higher proportion of senior faculty tended to perform more highly than teams that were nominally more diverse.
The researchers argue that while diverse teams can often have a wider range of perspectives, those teams with strong leadership were often more cohesive and were therefore able to function more effectively. What’s more, leaders were found to be key to driving the enthusiasm of team members and were directly linked with the level of contributions those members made. This was because they helped to create a culture of trust and accountability in those teams, while also ensuring the team had a clear vision.
Virtual teams
The importance of leadership was also underlined in research from Deakin University, which explored the success of virtual teams. The researchers found that the best performing teams employed what the researchers refer to as “process interdependence”, which is when work is collaborative more than independent.
Achieving this requires managers to be deliberate in the ways in which they structure team workflows. Digital tools are often crucial in such an environment as they help to ensure access to the right information and transparency in how the team works. The researchers found that the less friction there is in how resources are shared, the better teams are able to focus on things like problem-solving.
A key aspect of leading well in virtual teams is not just effective communication but prompt communication. A study from the University of Iowa found that in virtual environments, individuals who can type quickly tend to emerge as leaders more often than their slower counterparts. Speedy communication allows for quicker decision-making and a greater influence over the direction of the team’s efforts.
Indeed, given the fast pace of working life, the ability to effectively and efficiently communicate ideas gives leaders a clear edge, regardless of whether they’re operating in an in-person, a virtual, or a hybrid working environment.
High performing teams
The studies showcase the important role leadership plays in the functioning of hybrid and virtual teams. They remind us that there is not always a clear translation between leadership in in-person teams and virtual and hybrid teams, which underscores the importance of leadership development to ensure that people have the right skills to manage virtual teams.
They also remind us of the importance of ensuring that workflows are designed with collaboration in mind. Managers should utilize the latest digital tools to ensure that people have access to the resources and information required to do their jobs.
Last, but not least, managers should strive to communicate as quickly and clearly as possible, whether communicating via text or verbally. This is especially important in virtual environments where the speed of communication can be a key way of establishing authority.
If leaders are able to focus on these issues, they can create the kind of environment where teams thrive, regardless of whether they’re fully virtual or hybrid. With the nature of work continuing to evolve, this ability to be able to lead in a variety of settings is increasingly going to define successful leadership.
“Leadership matters,” the Rutgers researchers conclude. “Leaders play a critical role in the enthusiasm level of working group members and influence their interest in wanting to continue with a project of this kind.”
