"There is nothing more important for a business than hiring the right team," says Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group. While it's hard to find fault with a statement like that, for many hiring managers, it's much easier said than done. Team chemistry, often equated with company culture, has yet to be measured in a definitive way, yet many company leaders and executives, including Branson, laud its importance — at times making it the highest priority — when hiring.
Michael Schrage, a research fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business, has found that for businesses and sports teams alike, "The arena where the future of quantifying team performance and team work is being measurably discussed." In a recent Harvard Business Review piece, he posed the key question: "What combinatorial characteristics of high-performers empower everyone else to over-perform?"
Teams > Workplace Family
Companies, including the popular video streaming service Netflix, attribute their success to their emphasis on job performance and have long compared their hiring and talent management strategies to those of competitive sports teams. Says Netflix, "We're a team, not a family. Netflix leaders hire, develop and cut smartly, so we have stars in every position." While perhaps lacking some of the warmer attributes of a recruiting pitch, Netflix sets clear standards for job candidates from the beginning: performance comes first — a tactic that must be working to some degree, as company stock has risen almost 400 percent just in the last year.
Quantifying "Teamness"
While individual performance is important, companies are looking to leverage the effect that high-performing teams can have on a broader scale. George Karl, the seventh coach in NBA history to reach 1000 wins, emphasizes the importance of quantifying "teamness" to coaches and general managers. "Where Fortune 100 companies once invited pro coaches and athletes in as motivational speakers for internal events," writes Schrage, "the conversation is shifting to sharing analytic best practice."
As more quantitative attention is turning to how players improve the in-game performances of their teammates, asks Schrage, "How might CEOs and boards deploy headhunters and hire executives differently if chemistry can be better measured?" While not a clear fit, says Schrage, "The MLB, NBA, NFL and FIFA are hardly perfect analogues to either gigantic global enterprises or Silicon Valley start-ups. But high performance companies in industries worldwide are digitally monitoring and measuring their people more comprehensively and rigorously."
Photo: Can Stock
Related Resources
Want to keep learning? Explore our products, customer stories, and the latest industry insights.
Blog Post
You, Me, We – Managing the Talent Experience
Today’s world is incredibly unpredictable. Think of all the upheavals businesses have had to weather in recent years, from Brexit, to COVID-19, the Great Resignation, and more. Even before this, there was the 2008 financial meltdown. All of this impacts the world of work, meaning organisations must always prepare for times of instability.
Blog Post
Unlocking your team's potential: enabling career growth for greater success
In today's job market, one roadblock organisations often deal with when trying to hold on to employees is a concept called “talent hoarding.” Talent hoarding occurs when a manager holds tightly to an employee because they view that person as an essential asset to their team. Losing this person would likely create a hole in the department that the manager may consider challenging or inconvenient to fill.
Blog Post
Who cares about employee experience - a webinar with Ben Whitter
Employee experience once came down solely to a desk, office space, and possibly some free cake at the coffee station. This has completely transformed in recent years, the initial catalyst being the pandemic. The mass exodus from the workplace forced employers to rethink the employee experience (EX), as keeping morale high and workers connected to each other was paramount. However, even in the aftermath of Covid-19, the EX has continued to evolve.