We love narratives about team chemistry and synergy, but how much team performance is random? More than most leaders care to admit.
Randomness in Team Performance
A "high-performing" team might benefit from fortunate timing, market conditions, or competitor missteps. Conversely, despite solid fundamentals, a struggling team might face a perfect storm of bad luck.
Randomness in Team Performance
A "high-performing" team might benefit from fortunate timing, market conditions, or competitor missteps. Conversely, despite solid fundamentals, a struggling team might face a perfect storm of bad luck.
Randomness Factors in Team Dynamics
Consider these randomness factors in team dynamics:
Timing coincidence: The random alignment of the right people, right skills, right moment
Interaction effects: Unpredictable chemistry between specific team members
Outcome bias: Judging decision quality by results rather than process
How Teams Can Respond to Randomness
The best team leaders acknowledge randomness by:
Celebrating good processes even when outcomes disappoint
Questioning "streaks" of success to identify genuine strengths versus lucky breaks
Building resilience for inevitable random setbacks
Creating multiple paths to success (e.g., diversifying projects or approaches)
How Teams Can Respond to Randomness
The best team leaders acknowledge randomness by:
Celebrating good processes even when outcomes disappoint
Questioning "streaks" of success to identify genuine strengths versus lucky breaks
Building resilience for inevitable random setbacks
Creating multiple paths to success (e.g., diversifying projects or approaches)
Building Resilient Teams That Manage Chance
Australia's swim team rebounded from disappointing 2012 results not by overreacting to random factors, but by focusing on controllable elements such as training methods, team culture, and multiple pathways for athlete development. This approach created resilience against the randomness inherent in international competition.
When teams develop crucial resilience, they don't become overly confident after wins or demoralised after losses. They recognise that performance exists on a spectrum influenced by both skill and chance.
Next time your team experiences a big win or disappointing setback, ask: "What role did randomness play here? What can we control going forward?"
Building Resilient Teams That Manage Chance
Australia's swim team rebounded from disappointing 2012 results not by overreacting to random factors, but by focusing on controllable elements such as training methods, team culture, and multiple pathways for athlete development. This approach created resilience against the randomness inherent in international competition.
When teams develop crucial resilience, they don't become overly confident after wins or demoralised after losses. They recognise that performance exists on a spectrum influenced by both skill and chance.
Next time your team experiences a big win or disappointing setback, ask: "What role did randomness play here? What can we control going forward?"
