From Oxygen to Aristotle. From leadership to inclusive teams.

What do I need as a leader? What are the characteristics of a 21st-century leader? And how can I transfer this to my team? How can I be a good leader of people? How can I create an inclusive, high-performance team? These and many other questions may arise for anyone embarking on their adventure as an entrepreneur and team leader, and they all come together in an international crossover over the course of five years.

In the constant search for efficiency and well-being in the workplace, Google conducted two pioneering internal studies: the Oxygen Project and the Aristotle Project. Although initially focused on different aspects (leadership and teams, respectively), their findings converge powerfully to underscore the importance of inclusive leadership as a catalyst for high-performance teams.

Launched in 2008, Google’s Project Oxygen was an effort to identify what characteristics made a manager effective. Contrary to the initial belief that technical expertise was most important, the study revealed that soft skills and people leadership were crucial. Initially, the study, conducted among thousands of Google team leaders worldwide, identified six key areas that turned a good worker into a strong leader.

  • Mindset and values.
  • Emotional intelligence (EI).
  • Transition to management.
  • Coaching.
  • Feedback.
  • Decision-making.

These conclusions were the basis for an initial Erasmus+ project, “The Hexagonal Leader” (2019-1-PL01-KA204-064982), which was later supported by the new findings of the Oxygen Project to refine the eight key behaviours of the best managers:

  1. Be a good coach.
  2. Empower the team and avoid micromanagement.
  3. Express interest in the success and well-being of team members.
  4. Be productive and results-oriented.
  5. Be a good communicator: listen and share information.
  6. Support professional development and discuss performance.
  7. Have a clear vision and strategy for the team.
  8. Have key technical skills to advise the team (although not the most important).

Once the key characteristics of a good leader had been defined, a new question inevitably arose. How does that translate to a team? Can a team be high-performing and inclusive at the same time? The search for answers to these questions was the origin of the Aristotle Project (launched in 2012), which emerged with the idea of unravelling the mystery of why some teams thrived while others, with equally brilliant talents, did not. That is the spirit behind PENTATEAMS.

After analysing hundreds of teams and thousands of data points, the study came to a surprising conclusion: the composition of the team (who is on it) was less important than the team dynamics (how the members interact). It identified five key factors for team effectiveness, the most important being psychological safety:

  1. Psychological Safety: Team members feel safe to take risks, ask questions, express ideas, or admit mistakes without fear of punishment or humiliation.
  2. Reliability: Team members complete their tasks on time and to the expected quality standards.
  3. Structure and Clarity: The team’s roles, plans, and goals are clear and well defined.
  4. Meaning of Work: The work is personally important to team members.
  5. Impact of Work: Team members believe that their work matters and contributes to a greater good.

Psychological safety emerged as the fundamental pillar, as without it, the other factors are weakened.

Synergy: Inclusive Leadership and High-Performance Teams

The connection between Project Oxygen and Project Aristotle (or we could say, the connection between “The Hexagonal Leader” and PENTATEAMS) is undeniable and highlights the central role of inclusive leadership. The behaviours of “good managers” identified in Oxygen are precisely those that create and foster the psychological safety that Aristotle found essential for successful teams.

A leader who:

 

  • Is a good coach and empowers their team (Oxygen) is creating an environment where members feel safe to take risks and learn from mistakes (Aristotle).
  • Shows interest in the success and well-being of their employees (Oxygen) is building the trust and empathy that are the foundation of psychological safety.
  • Is a good communicator and knows how to listen (Oxygen) facilitates open dialogue and ensures that all voices are heard, a pillar of inclusion and psychological safety.
  • Supports professional development (Oxygen) demonstrates that they value their employees, which helps them feel secure and committed to the meaning and impact of their work (Aristotle).

Inclusive leadership is the bridge that connects both projects. An inclusive leader not only recognises and values the diversity of their teams (gender, age, background, etc.), but also actively creates an environment where that diversity can thrive. This is achieved by fostering a space where everyone feels safe to be authentic, express their ideas without fear of reprisal, and contribute fully. This is, in essence, psychological safety.

By prioritising inclusion, leaders not only improve the morale and satisfaction of their teams, but also unlock collective potential. Inclusive teams are more innovative, more adaptable and more effective at solving problems, as they benefit from a wider range of perspectives and experiences.

Google’s Oxygen and Aristotle projects, through their rigorous research, have provided a clear roadmap for organisations seeking success. The fundamental lesson is that exceptional performance does not arise solely from the sum of individual talents, but from the quality of leadership and the team dynamics that this leadership is able to cultivate. At the heart of this dynamic is psychological safety, a state that can only flourish under truly inclusive leadership. Investing in the development of leaders who empower, listen to, and value every member of their team is therefore the smartest strategy for building resilient, innovative, and successful organisations in the 21st century.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Agence Erasmus+ France / Education Formation. Neither the European Union nor the grating authority can be held responsible for them. Project Number: 2023-1-FR01-KA220-VET-000152480

All resources are published under the Creative Commons License CC BY-NC 4.0

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