Joining a new team? Watch out for the Susan Boyle Effect
The sudden emergence of Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle onto the world stage presents many fascinating insights into human behaviour, the power of expectations, our crazy wired world, and even the contrived workings of reality TV. But as I was musing over her performance and the outpouring of comments it generated, I began to think about the team ramifications of the human tendency to pigeon-hole others at first glance and make snapshot decisions about their skills and competencies.
To be sure, this very tendency was in full force last Friday during an adventure we ran for new MBA students, who were meeting their first-term group members for the very first time. Hopefully, by getting thrown into a fun and challenging situation mere seconds after being introduced, the “Susan Boyle effect” was somewhat mitigated; instead of making snap judgments based on appearances, they were able to see their teammates in action and get a more informed understanding of who they are, and what to expect from them.
Have you just joined a new team? If so, there are likely one or more Susan Boyles on your team right now. They need not be dowdy, 47 years old, or have an operatic voice. But Ms. Boyle’s extreme example highlights the need to keep our first impressions in check when starting on a new team. The forming stage of team development can happen quickly, but ideally should take longer than 5 seconds. The more we resist snap judgements, and the more we open our minds, the more quickly we can come to realistic expectations regarding our new team members and get on the road to becoming a well functioning unit.
Matt (Team puzzle architect)
