The Neuroscience of Teams: Understanding Inter-Brain Synchrony
(W5) Exploring a groundbreaking study that challenges beliefs about team dynamics and offers potential for organizational effectiveness.
Last fall, I returned to academia to research the field of organizational behavior and effectiveness. My renewed academic journey has been a gratifying experience, fueled not only by my innate love for learning but also by the access it gives me to the latest research and field studies. While sources like business journals and leadership/management books offer tools and tips, I often find they are outdated given the complexity of workplace dynamics today.
The recent shifts from a war for talent to widespread pandemic-induced layoffs, followed by organizations grappling with hiring challenges and uncertainties regarding the impact of AI on employment, have left many in a state of uncertainty. Organizations are now realizing the pressing need to reassess their talent pool, understand the skills they have and those they need, and strategize on how to leverage them effectively. Navigating this journey of right-sizing and up/re-skilling will take time. This is where emerging research on organizational effectiveness plays a crucial role, providing leaders with insights to chart a course forward.
I started this Bulletin recognizing that not everyone has easy access to such research or the luxury of time to peruse academic journals but no less needs the information now and concisely so they can get to work. This week's IMPACT Bulletin offers research on teams—an integral component for every organization that is essential for achieving efficient and hopefully productive outcomes.
In 2016, a New York Times article explored Google's quest for the perfect team (What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team). Despite Google's extensive research using various measures including demographic and personality factors, the company struggled to predict its best-performing teams. This underscores the complexity of understanding team dynamics and the limitations of conventional approaches.
A recent study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience journal1 explored the uncharted territory of using neuroscience to look at something called the inter-brain synchrony within teams. This study takes a unique approach to unravel the neuroscience behind collective performance. I’ll dissect the key findings and implications, and shed light on a new dimension of understanding successful team dynamics.
The Study:
Conducted with 174 participants organized into groups of four, the study used brain scanning technology to record activity during problem-solving tasks. Participants were randomly assigned to work either independently or as a team. The goal was to investigate the relationship between group identification, inter-brain synchrony, and collective performance.
Key Findings:
Teams Outperform Individuals:
Teams exhibited stronger identification with each other, cooperated more, and consistently outperformed individual participants in problem-solving tasks. This lines up with established research showing the benefits of collaborative efforts over those performed individually.
Inter-Brain Synchrony Predicts Success:
One of the most interesting findings was that inter-brain synchrony, which is the alignment of brain activity among team members, emerged as a predictor of collective performance and surpassed the predictive power of self-reported group identification. In short, group performance and output may be better than what individual group members report or share about performance.
Implicit Measures vs. Explicit Measures:
The study highlighted the potential of inter-brain synchrony as a continuous measure that captures aspects of interpersonal interactions not visible through traditional self-report measures. This distinction is crucial in predicting team success, as demonstrated by the study's findings.
Implications:
The results of this study challenge conventional wisdom, particularly the Google study, regarding the assessment of successful teams. At a time when organizations try to unlock the secrets of effective collaboration, inter-brain synchrony emerges as a promising opportunity that requires more exploration and consideration. Here are some key implications for organizational effectiveness:
Moving Beyond Self-Reports:
While self-report measures have long been used to assess team dynamics, the study suggests that relying solely on such measures might not capture the full spectrum of team performance. Inter-brain synchrony offers an implicit and real-time window into team dynamics.
The Neuroscience of Team Success:
Understanding the neural processes behind successful teams provides a unique perspective. It allows organizations to delve into the “dark matter” of social neuroscience, exploring the intricacies of how brains interact and synch up during dynamic group interactions.
Practical Applications for Leadership:
The findings hint at the potential role of inter-brain synchrony in identifying effective leaders within a team. The ability to lead others to a shared goal and coordinate actions might be reflected in the level of inter-brain synchrony.
As we navigate the complex landscape of team dynamics, this study opens new considerations in the formation, evaluation, and performance of teams. The merging of neuroscience with established beliefs on team dynamics presents exciting new opportunities. Inter-brain synchrony emerges not just as a scientific study but as a potential tool for organizations striving to enhance collective performance and cooperation within teams. In the ever-evolving realm of organizational effectiveness, understanding the brain waves of successful teams could reshape how we approach collaboration and teamwork.
Stay tuned for further insights and research I discover that are hopefully useful, timely, and improve organizational effectiveness and workplace function.
Diego A Reinero, Suzanne Dikker, Jay J Van Bavel, Inter-brain synchrony in teams predicts collective performance, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Volume 16, Issue 1-2, January-February 2021, Pages 43–57, https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsaa135