Really interesting article about making a team more productive. I would have totally thought the first assumption would produce a more productive team since each member can work on what they enjoy the most. Turns out I was wrong (which of course is the first time and don’t tell the wife).

But our research has shown that the opposite is true: collaboration improves when the roles of individual team members are clearly defined and well understood — in fact, when individuals feel their role is bounded in ways that allow them to do a significant portion of their work independently. Without such clarity, team members are likely to waste energy negotiating roles or protecting turf, rather than focusing on the task.

Something I must keep in mind as I grow my business to include others.