Setting up for success – Creating a high-flow teamwork environment
Art generated by DALLE - 2
Setting up for success – Creating a high-flow teamwork environment
Translating the Bible into every language on earth is one of the most complex processes endeavored by the church. Thankfully, the modern Bible translation movement has found that this happens most effectively through teamwork. In honor of the English Oral Bible translation project starting last week, I am sharing some insights from recent research on why "teamwork is dreamwork" and how to do teamwork efficiently in academic contexts. I found the following:
Fun 'flow' fosters sustained motivation and fantastic products
Research has shown that purposefully engaging in group activities that take "just the right" skill level of those involved, such that they are neither bored or overwhelmed, can lead to a brain state known as "flow" (Bergland, 2021). In flow states, people lose track of their sense of time because their brains are so concentrated on living in the moment. Athletes often discuss flow in terms of "getting in the zone." Motivation becomes a non-issue during flow-states because people are so focused on completing the next task. Thus, teams that collectively engage in a flow state are also more likely to reach peak performance levels and have higher levels of collective intelligence (ibid). In addition to leading to higher group intelligence, the positive affects (emotions) that arise during these flow states broaden the scope of factors the brain considers (Rowe et al. 2007); these affects also increase the important connections team members make. Highly connected teams, with higher collective intelligence, will produce much better products.
7 tips for fostering high-flow teamwork
Here are seven tips for creating a high-flow teamwork environment in mentally demanding work:
Throughout the project:
- Pray frequently: Establishing a culture of deliberate, frequent, and spontaneous prayer about issues is a good guardrail against driving into ravines of useless work (Proverbs 3:5-6). I have been surprised at how quickly these prayers are often answered, through creative bursts, "happening" upon the right resource, or someone reaching out about a topic.
- Establish a collaborative atmosphere: Create an atmosphere of collaboration by encouraging open communication and mutual respect for each other’s ideas and opinions (Fischer, 2014). Such an environment also creates strong relationships, which are a safe haven for the out-of-the-box thinking required of true innovation.
At the beginning of the project:
- Connect intrinsic motivations: Factors that intrinsically motivate people drive them faster and further than external goals such as bonuses or rewards. Clearly connecting the goals of the project to things that intrinsically motivate each team member gives them motivation to persevere when they face challenges.
- Set specific, manageable goals: Before starting any creative project, clearly define what you want to achieve and make sure everyone on the team is aware of the goals and expectations. Breaking the goals into manageable chunks creates the opportunity for team members to "gamify" their work through completing goals and quickly returning to the task list.
- Get everyone on the right page: Before getting started, have a discussion about the project and ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities related to the project. Knowing your workflow reduces cognitive load so you can focus on what really matters.
During the project:
- Take breaks: Creative work can be draining, so it’s important to take breaks throughout the day in order to refresh and re-energize yourself. If you sit and type for your work, don't sit for your breaks—stretch and, if possible, stroll briefly to another location. Changes in scenery expand what we think about.
- Utilize embodied cognition and visual processing: Humans think more effectively when they distribute their cognitive load across multiple regions of the brain, so relying only upon words actually hinders us. Incorporating bodily movements and visualizations of our thoughts into collaborate processes allows us to express complex ideas with less effort (Ferreira 2021).
Challenge for you:
Find people to work together on projects that matter most to you, and implement some of these tips!
References
- Bergland, Christopher. 2021. “Why Team Flow Is a Unique Brain State.” Why Team Flow Is a Unique Brain State (blog). October 6, 2021. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202110/why-team-flow-is-unique-brain-state.
- Ferreira, Juliene Madureira. 2021. “What If We Look at the Body? An Embodied Perspective of Collaborative Learning.” Educational Psychology Review 33 (4): 1455–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09607-8.
- Fischer, G. 2014. “Learning, Social Creativity, and Cultures of Participation” in A. Sannino, & V. Ellis (Eds.), Learning and Collective Creativity: Activity-Theoretical and Sociocultural Studies, Taylor & Francis/Routledge, New York, NY, pp. 198-215. http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/~gerhard/papers/2013/helsinki.pdf.
- Rowe, G., J. B. Hirsh, and A. K. Anderson. 2007. “Positive Affect Increases the Breadth of Attentional Selection.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104 (1): 383–88. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0605198104.