Associate Teaching Professor Illysa Izenberg teaches courses in engineering management, management theory, workplace ethics, and American enterprise, drawing on years of experience as a business and management consultant and executive coach. She believes that being an effective team member is a core skill for every student—one that takes time, reflection, and practice to develop.
In a recent Harvard Business Review spotlight, Izenberg discussed how HBR case studies help students in her courses build the skills needed to collaborate successfully. We followed up with her to learn more about the habits, strategies, and mindset that can help students master the art of teamwork and how she employs case studies to do so.
Why is it important for students to practice the skills required to work in teams effectively?
I can understand why many students believe that they can be individual contributors, and I think that belief might be getting more extreme because they see themselves now as having their own partner with AI. The thing is, you can make almost nothing happen without other human beings buying into it or in some way contributing to it. There is a lot of research that shows us how much more we can accomplish when we work in teams, especially when those teams have synergy where each individual contributes each little piece, and then it gets put together. Research shows that people working alone are not nearly as capable and productive as they are when they work in a team, and that a team with AI is better still than individuals working with AI.
Which skills are essential for students to develop to be an effective team member?
I think the most important skill is the ability to listen. Listening is really hard, and it encompasses more than just verbal. We listen when we’re reading an email, and we listen when we’re reading output from an AI. A group of [CLE faculty] did some research a while ago where we talked to engineers on multidisciplinary teams, and we narrowed down the unique skills needed in a multidisciplinary team. The number one skill was what we decided to call “work empathy,” which does not mean being nice to people. It doesn’t mean sympathizing with how tired you are, or how frustrated someone feels. It means understanding the technical language a team member from another discipline speaks, and valuing that team member’s contribution as highly as you do your own. It’s a skill that helps us speak that person’s language, or be able to interpret ours, or make what we are saying understandable by someone who has a very different perspective.
Finally, team members must manage themselves well. This means that you can look ahead and see what’s coming, and you don’t promise things that you cannot do. It means that if you say you will do something, you do it by the time you said you were going to do it, and if something happens [to prevent you from meeting your deadline], you say so. It means that you’re watching out for not just your own little piece of something, but the project as a whole. It means understanding the mission, the vision, and how your work is tied to it.
What does a team-focused work environment look like? Is there anything specific, such as methods or tools or even a particular level of communication, that is essential for teams to work together effectively?
I think the number one thing that you need is a sense of psychological safety. It is unfortunately extremely rare, if only because we all come to any group with this sense of self-protection. Being able to break that down and build trust is so important. Saying, “I have the best intentions when I’m interacting with you, and when I’m interacting with the world, I’m still having the best intentions for you.” That is a level of trust that enables a team to really work well together.
Kim Scott wrote a book called Radical Candor, which was brilliant. Some people took that to the extreme of “I’m being candid, and I’m going to say whatever is on my mind.” Well, that’s not actually helpful. There is knowing what needs to be said, when it needs to be said, and whether you are the right person to say it. Does this person actually need to hear it, or do you just need to say it? Teams need the kind of candor that says, “I care about you as a human being.”
Teams can work effectively in a virtual setting, but they need to meet and put extra effort into the meeting. We are all in a big hurry, but we have to take the time to build community. This is what the research shows makes a really good team.
What is “team citizenship” and how does this concept show up in your class?
A good team citizen supports the team’s process: they share the burden of keeping an eye on the schedule and organizing, preparing for, and following up from meetings with others on the team; they complete work on time and up to the standards promised and expected, clearly state concerns and expect to collaborate with the group to resolve them, and support a team mate who is falling behind or otherwise struggling by taking on extra work if possible, finding resources if not, and being clear about how expectations can be altered (if at all) given that struggle.
A good team citizen does not hide errors or concerns; complain about / gossip / discuss team issues outside of the team without express permission of the team and a sincere desire to help; arrive late and unprepared to meetings and complete work late without advance warning and a good reason; or ever do anything to make themselves look good at the expense of the team or any of its members.
A good team player is an exceptionally strong team citizen who also steps up when the team needs extra work done, even when it’s not their responsibility, leads upward to decision-makers to ensure the team’s work is visible, valued, and aligned with the organization’s strategy, empathizes with struggling teammates, clients, and other stakeholders of a project, coaches teammates and is willing to accept coaching from them, and always looks for opportunities for and threats to the team and organization.
You ask students to reflect on their learning experience in your course. What kind of feedback do you receive about their experiences working in teams?
Some students in my classes have told me that their team experience in my class was the best they’ve ever had. Some tell me that they formed deep friendships with their learning group mates even when they did not know them coming into the class, and that they expected those friendships to last.
Some tell me they struggled and hadn’t expected to because they were friends coming into the class, but the experience taught them that they had to be intentional when selecting teammates and throughout the launch and management of their teams.
Some teams struggle dramatically. All but 2 since I began teaching (2006) have overcome the struggle and learned to work in teams as well as produce quality work, though many required at least some coaching from me.
Izenberg also teaches courses through Coursera on decision making, strategy, and management. Read more about her available courses here.