Birds Have it Right: The Leaders are Right Next to You
It is consistently stunning. Hundreds of birds flying in unison—cruising, streaming, flowing through the air. These bird swarms are mesmerizing—even soothing—yet perplexing for their coordinated movements, all occurring ostensibly without a clear lead bird. But how? Leave it to the scientists to make sense of it.
According to research conducted by physicists at the Universita Sapienza in Rome, bird swarms use peer pressure. OK, not pressure as much as influence. As it turns out, each bird (starlings, in this research) is simply copying the bird next to it. “There is no leader in a flock,” said Dr. Antonio Culla, one of the researchers. “Everyone imitates its neighbors.”
No amount of single-bird leadership produces these magnificent group movements. The birds look to each other for direction and guidance. There’s an inherent trust in the neighbor bird that their maneuvers are in the group’s best interest. Seems that nature provides hints to understand the behaviors of people, groups, and organizations. Think about your peers. They have tremendous influence on the mood, cohesiveness, direction, and effectiveness of your team. There’s even some non-physicist research that supports this.
MIT computer scientist Alex Pentland has conducted numerous studies on team dynamics. His research indicates that a key element of team effectiveness is members communicating directly with one another, not just with the team leader. (Fun relationship fact: Pentland’s brother, Brian Pentland, was one of my MBA professors at Michigan State University. Fabulous teacher and awesome guitarist, as well.)
Daniel Coyle expands on this notion in his book, The Culture Code. Coyle writes that teams communicate “belonging” cues that create connection with peers. If you feel connected to your peers, Coyle notes, you’re more likely to trust them and feel safe—another characteristic of effective teams.
So, how can these bird formations inform our leadership? While there are lots of factors that create high-performing teams, the influence of peers is undeniable. So ask yourself, are you:
Creating an environment of trust and honesty?
Developing the team to be coaches to one another?
Modeling direct and caring conversations?
Acknowledging and reinforcing prosocial behavior?
Rebuking the wrong behavior?
Peer influence is strong. Even a single rogue behavior can quickly propagate throughout a group, flying the team in the wrong direction. But it’s a beautiful site when each bird knows the way. And we don’t need a physicist to tell us that.
Notes:
How do massive flocks fly in-unison?
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