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Unlocking Leadership Excellence
A Game-Changer for Engineering Leaders
As engineering managers, measuring our own performance can be challenging since our impact is often indirect and manifests through our team’s success. However, getting regular feedback from our direct reports is crucial for our growth and effectiveness.
Project Oxygen and Project Aristotle, two significant research initiatives by Google, provided valuable insights into management effectiveness and team dynamics in modern workplaces. Their findings demonstrated that skilled managers meaningfully impact team performance and identified specific behaviors that characterize effective leadership. This research has helped establish measurable criteria for evaluating engineering management performance.
Project Oxygen, initiated in 2008, set out to evaluate the impact of management on team success. Through analysis of performance reviews, surveys, and employee feedback, the research identified eight (later expanded to ten) key management behaviors. These included coaching ability, empowering without micromanaging, supporting inclusive team environments, and maintaining a balance between results orientation and employee well-being.
Project Aristotle, launched in 2012, focused on understanding team effectiveness. The study examined numerous Google teams and…
