The researchers also found that individuals who communicate more during tasks and training were more likely to be chosen as the communication leader.

The researchers wanted to examine how individuals come to occupy communication network leadership positions and the effect that selection processes have on group performance. Internally, individuals in these communication network positions link otherwise unconnected team members and can potentially act as the voice for the wider team, sharing insights with other teams, organisations, and stakeholders.

In order to understand whether a team performed better if they choose their own team leader, the researchers conducted a laboratory study with over 120 participants. Researchers split all participants into groups of three, where they were given a project to complete – the creation of a new mobile app.

After a short period of discussion, the groups were asked to select someone from the team to be a conduit where members of the team could only speak directly to them, but they could speak to everyone in the team, relaying information from one team member to the other. In one half of the groups, the selected person became the central member, in the other half of groups, teams were assigned a different person.  

The researchers found that teams who selected their own communication team leader made less errors in their app development, therefore performing better than the teams who had their leader assigned by the researchers. Moreover, communication ability and technical ability were key skills held by those who were selected.

“The value of good communication really cannot be understated in the business world. It is vitally important that all teams have a leader who can clearly and concisely communicate tasks, so that the team can carry these out with little to no error. The combination of speed and fidelity can be a source of competitive advantage for teams and organizations”, says Professor Guo.

“Being able to communicate effectively is an important skill. Failing to have a leader in this role who can be an effective communicator and networker runs the risk of errors and weak performance because of poor communication”.

Having a team leader who effectively connects team members together is vitally important. The researchers say that these findings clearly show that when a lead voice is needed for a team, it is important that the group is able to have a frank discussion about which members skillsets suit the position the best. 

In being able to choose the best person for the role, the team is more likely to perform at a more effective rate, which of course is more beneficial to wider team achieving their goals.

About Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (FS) is a private business school accredited by AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. The university focuses on finance, economics and management, and offers Bachelor, Master, MBA and doctoral programmes as well as executive education courses and seminars for professionals and trainees. Frankfurt School is regularly placed among the top performers in major university rankings. For example, it ranks 26th in the latest Financial Times (FT) European Business School Ranking and is listed as the best German business school in the Times Higher Education Global University Employability Ranking. In the FT’s most recent global masters’ rankings the business school’s Master in Management is positioned 37th and its Master of Finance 33rd. In the WirtschaftsWoche university ranking Frankfurt School ranks 3rd among all German universities for business administration.

Consulting is another important pillar of Frankfurt School’s activities. The university provides advice and support to businesses and organisations in emerging and developing countries, especially in the field of ESG.

In addition to the main Frankfurt campus, Frankfurt School has study centres in Hamburg and Munich, as well as offices in Amman, Ankara, Nairobi and Tbilisi. Frankfurt School is a globally connected business school with over 125 partner universities. www.frankfurt-school.de