Of course, applications have proven to be an excellent way to increase team productivity, especially with the facilities provided by cloud computing and the dizzying growth of SaaS companies , with their remotely accessible software, which share information easily, at a very attractive cost. and scalability to be envious.
But what is so much information and, theoretically, collaboration between teams, if the leadership does not know how to enhance this, through an action plan on how to increase the productivity of the teams?
And, as for the teams, for their part, are they using the information properly or are they motivated to do so?
In order for your efforts to increase the team’s productivity to give results, we sought 5 studies from renowned universities and international research institutes .
And the first of these studies alerts exactly to this fact: technology is important, but without an “Information Orientatiom” policy, supported by internal communication , the performance of the teams in your company may not be improved.
See also: How to motivate a team as a BOSS
5 studies on how to increase team productivity
1- “Information Orientation” and team performance in companies
The growing wave of digital transformation and the use of technology as a tool to get to know the public, manage companies and teams, and find new business opportunities is positive.
But this study conducted by the International Institute for Management Development , warns that, more than ever, the point of view centered on technology is not being accompanied by management activities centered on people , with the objective of adapting attitudes and values that lead to a use most efficient of all this information .
Therefore, companies must go beyond mere investments in technology, it is necessary to combine these two factors with a perfect collection, organization and dissemination of information.
For this, the study speaks of an IO posture (“Information Orientation”, “Information Orientation”, in Portuguese) that will lead teams to embrace the correct behaviors and appropriate values to work with information.
The conclusion is that more than the implementation of technologies themselves, the “IO” will be the main responsible for the performance of the teams and the business.
2- Motivated employees are more engaged and generate more customer loyalty
There seems to be a long way between internal motivation and customer loyalty, but this study by professors James Heskett , Earl Sasser and Leonard Schlesinger , from Harvard Business School , shows how to increase team productivity in this way.
Usually, it is assumed that well-paid and engaged employees offer higher levels of service, resulting in customer loyalty, which increases the performance of the company and the teams.
This work proved this in a scientific way, as it believes that there is a mirror effect between employee satisfaction and loyalty, working as a team and with more productivity, and customer satisfaction and loyalty, also boosting the company’s financial performance.
Check out more performance tips in companies: Guide: improving performance with Lean
3- Meritocracy and team productivity
“People Analytics” is the term used by Professor Emilio Castilla , from MIT Sloan School of Management , to designate the best way for companies to identify whether their meritocracy policies, with the aim of improving team performance, do not have any harmful bias or biased.
In his article , the professor comments that many executives and managers believe that they must recruit and retain the best talents in their companies, in search of productivity and performance.
And one way to increase team productivity is to encourage meritocracy , that is, to hire, reward and promote the best people, based on their merits and real performance tests.
But for this to happen properly, without bias or even unconscious prejudices, it is necessary to define HR processes and clear criteria for hiring and evaluating employees, in an objective and clear way, to ensure that these formal processes are fair.
Everyone needs to know what is expected of them and how they will be evaluated, otherwise the effect can be reversed, discouraging teams, instead of encouraging the improvement of individual and team productivity .
4- Consensus can destroy planning and productivity
It seems strange, but seeking consensus in the team, although apparently ideal, may not always work.
Every manager begins his work by developing a strategic plan, goals and objectives . And to increase the team’s productivity, it seeks to involve them in these decisions, because when they accept what was proposed as a consensual idea, everyone will engage in the projects.
Mass Professor William Barnett , of the Stanford Graduate School of Business , warned, during a conference at this prestigious business school :
“Human beings are more afraid of looking like fools than the need to be considered geniuses”
For this reason, instead of risking “giving up” in front of the entire board, many employees end up preferring to support the general view of consensus for fear of exposing risky (and often innovative ) ideas .
With this, instead of a way to increase the team’s productivity and its engagement in the company’s strategic plans, seeking consensus can lead to simple and not very creative decisions.
5- Pressure in the right measure
Not always having a stressed team is bad, according to a study by Professor Liane Davey , released by Harvard Business Review .
Senior executives and managers know that when deadlines start to get short and results don’t show up, a little pressure can motivate the team enough to do their best, without despairing or panicking.
But you need to take a subtle approach, see the tips:
- Increase the frequency of your guidance
- Be very objective when explaining tasks
- Show that you are paying more attention to what the team does
- Give clear feedback that something needs to be done
One technique taught by Davey is to launch a charge in the air, with a face of concern and then relieve attention with a question, for example:
– We are already in the last week of the month and we haven’t even reached 60% of our goal! Do you think we should develop new sales material to assist teams in the field?
As was clear from this post, technology can be a great ally in the management and modeling of more productive processes , but without team leadership techniques that encourage productivity and adequate knowledge of tools, the results are not guaranteed.
