Special report
Openness predicts a team's strength
We surveyed over 1,000 team members across a range of industries and found that trust and transparency lead to higher achievement.
Candid feedback, cross-functional collaboration, mutual respect, inclusion...
More and more, these are what people look for in a company culture. Think they're just fluffy little nice-to-haves? Think again.
TEAMS WITH AN OPEN WORK STYLE ARE…
60%
more likely to achieve more, faster
80%
more likely to report high emotional well-being
How do we know all this? Glad you asked.
We commissioned research into how knowledge workers see their teams, what they believe they need to succeed, and what they lack. We found the most successful teams make decisions in an apolitical way, engage in honest feedback, and take ownership of learning from their mistakes. Likewise, being able to share personal information and feeling respected by teammates are the biggest drivers of emotional health on the job.
What does an open workstyle look like, anyway?
The freedom to share information and ideas with colleagues
Two-way feedback between people and their managers
Opportunities to weigh in on decisions
Strong interpersonal connections with teammates
What does an open workstyle look like, anyway?
The freedom to share information and ideas with colleagues
Two-way feedback between people and their managers
Opportunities to weigh in on decisions
Strong interpersonal connections with teammates
94%
of participants feel mutual respect is important to a team’s success. 19% point to it as the number one factor in their team’s emotional well-being.
94%
of participants feel mutual respect is important to a team’s success. 19% point to it as the number one factor in their team’s emotional well-being.
With such strong consensus, there’s nothing stopping teams from embracing these practices – right? Well, not quite.
Gaps in understanding and perception are getting in the way for many teams. Managers are not only more likely to see the value in Open practices, but they also perceive their teams as more Open than individual contributors do.
Although respondents agree Open practices are important, many identify work ethic and individual competence as the primary drivers of a team's success, which runs contrary to our findings about the importance of culture and collaboration. Companies may even be unwittingly constraining their teams' achievement by focusing on individual factors while maintaining a hierarchical, closed environment.
But there is hope.
When companies and teams start to adopt Open, collaborative practices, they build more momentum and deliver faster. Similarly, giving teams agency in how they work together fosters belonging, trust, respect, connection, and good old fashioned happiness.
Among low-achieving teams
have easy access to the information they need to do their best work
make decisions irrespective of office politics
are welcome to give honest feedback to those higher on the org chart
understand why their work matters to customers or to the business
have a culture of sharing who they are and what’s going on outside of work
exhibit mutual respect between teammates
Among high-achieving teams
have easy access to the information they need to do their best work
make decisions irrespective of office politics
are welcome to give honest feedback to those higher on the org chart
understand why their work matters to customers or to the business
have a culture of sharing who they are and what’s going on outside of work
exhibit mutual respect between teammates
Be the change you seek
We analyzed over 100 specific behaviors to uncover which ones make a difference. We found loads of ways teams can make a significant, positive impact on their performance and well-being. Here are a few that ranked highest.
Recognition
Publicly celebrate team and individual accomplishments.
Knowledge-sharing
Ensure team members have a mentor they can reach out to for help.
Collaboration
Make time for dedicated problem-solving or brainstorming sessions with your teammates.
TRUST & TRANSPARENCY
Bring up performance issues proactively, even if you’re not the manager.
COMMUNICATION
Open up your calendar so teammates can see your schedule and availability.
OWNERSHIP
Collaboratively set your team's own annual goals.
In Conclusion
While we can’t promise that Open behaviors will magically transform every team into superstars, the differences in the practices of high- and low-achieving teams are significant.
And that’s good news regardless of whether your team is struggling or soaring. It means any team can improve their health and performance by shifting the way they work. Small, incremental changes can make a big impact. Long-lasting changes are often born of evolution – not revolution. So don’t worry about kicking off a massive “cultural transformation” initiative. It’s all about the journey.
Enjoy the ride.
*Curious about our methodology?
Great! We surveyed nearly 1,100 managers and individual contributors who work on teams of at least 5 people, focusing on select team types (IT, software, and business teams supporting them) in the US. Participants answered a series of questions that, taken together, identified them as being on high- or low-achieving teams with high or low “emotional well-being.” The “high-achieving” designation is shorthand for teams that build momentum quickly, move fast, and avoid inefficiencies like dependency bottlenecks or work that has to be re-done. Teams with “high emotional well-being” exhibit feelings of belonging, happiness, connection, and trust. To understand participants' perceptions of Open work behaviors, we asked them questions about their team’s practices in the abstract.
To confirm whether participants’ teams currently have an Open workstyle, we asked them to imagine themselves in specific scenarios at work and answer questions about how their team actually acts (vs. tries to act).
What we gathered was a self-assessment of habits, and not necessarily an objective observation. Nevertheless, distinct patterns emerged. The results were validating in places but surprising in others. We’re excited to share them for the first time.
For more information about our methodology or findings, please contact press@atlassian.com.