New research from the University of Sydney suggests the differing biorhythms of team members should be considered when putting together an optimal team. We all know some of us are “morning people” while others are “night owls”. But how many of us consider that when putting together a team?
Senior lecturer, Dr Stefan Volk said “Our research focused on how the circadian rhythms of different team members affect the performance of that team and the consequences for team performance when people have different daily performance cycles”.
For teams that have to work closely together, having people whose rhythms are in sync is beneficial according to the research. On the other hand, when teams need to work on a project or task over a sustained period, having people that peak at different times is better. For example, surgical teams need to be at their best at the same time whereas a flight crew on a long flight need to be “up” at different times.
Volk says he is particularly interested in investigating the way that workers can make best use of their mental and physical capacities by actively managing their bodily energy resources throughout the working day.
“By studying what is known from the medical and biological sciences about the functioning of the human body, I believe we can improve employees’ performance in a myriad of ways, including, but not limited to, workplace safety and effective team work”.
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