What makes one team smarter than another? | Anita Williams Woolley, Carnegie Mellon University

Here is the link.

Dr. Anita Williams Woolley, associate professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, shares why some teams are smarter than others and how “collective intelligence” is a key predictor of team performance. People tend to focus on individual attributes when predicting team success, whether looking at hockey teams or presidential cabinets. Woolley argues that organizations need to look more closely at the value of collective intelligence and how team members perform together; her research shows that this is a much better predictor of team performance than individual IQ. Woolley finds that team diversity and social perceptiveness (the ability to pick up nonverbal cues from others) are critical ingredients of collective intelligence. Her recommendations? 1) Set egalitarian norms when you’re convening a team; leave no room for stars or loafers. 2) Pay attention to the skills and collaboration abilities of the team and avoid hiring people who are particularly domineering or negative.