Good morning,

No matter how much you love your coworkers, you probably don’t want to be confined to a small space with them for months on end. So imagine how tricky it is for astronauts on prolonged space missions to get along. How do they do it? What is needed to keep teams of astronauts operating happily, safely, and productively?

These are questions that Kellogg professor Noshir Contractor and Northwestern communications professor Leslie DeChurch often tackle in their research. Today, we’ll see what advice we can draw from that research for our teams here on Earth.

But first, if you’ve been enjoying The Insightful Leader emails, please consider telling your friends and colleagues about us. You can direct them to sign up here.

Teamwork Tips from Outer Space

Contractor and DeChurch have both conducted research with NASA to help the agency understand how to assemble and nurture the best teams possible for long space missions. Many of their findings apply to teams in general—and are particularly relevant with the uptick in remote work during the pandemic. (Think of ground control as essentially a remote manager for the workers out in space.)

The two discussed some of the findings that are most transferable to our Earth-bound teams in a webinar with Kellogg Executive Education, as well as in a recent Economist article. Here are a few of their takeaways:

Ensure employees understand big-picture goals: Astronauts are never left to wonder about their organization’s loftiest goals: space exploration and discovery. Even when they’re working on a mundane task—say, practicing putting away equipment one more time—they know how it’s connected to the bigger mission. Managers on Earth should make sure their employees understand this, too. It’s particularly important with new employees. “Talk to each of them at some length about what the bigger picture is, what the dream is, what the vision is, and why what they are doing is a significant component within that,” says Contractor, a professor of management and organizations.

Don’t fear conflict: You may instinctively think that a team in conflict high above the Earth is a bad, or even dangerous, thing. That’s not necessarily the case. Some conflict—namely, disagreements over tasks or ideas—can help team creativity. Conflict around personalities is what you want to avoid. Trying to avoid all conflict in a doomed attempt to keep everyone happy all the time is not the goal. The notion that a happy team is a productive team should be flipped, DeChurch says. “A productive team is a happy team,” she told the Economist. “Nothing builds cohesion in a team like excellence.”

Don’t micromanage from afar: Leaders who are managing remotely often want to regain some of the control they’ve lost by not being able to actually see work being done. At the same time, team members want a sense of autonomy, which makes their work feel more meaningful. To show how bad this kind of conflict can get, the researchers point to the story of the U.S. Skylab crew, which in 1974 rebelled against mission control. “The crew was so completely frustrated with the structured tasks they were given,” Contractor says, that they simply shut off communication with mission control for a period of time. “It’s referred to as the first mutiny in space, or the first strike in space.” So try your best to resist the urge to micromanage—for the good of the team.

Want to hear more from Contractor and DeChurch about their work with NASA? In addition to the Kellogg webinar, check out this episode of NASA’s “Houston, We Have a Podcast,” voted by Insight staff as the best-named podcast around.

What You Need to Know About Today’s Economy

Prices are surging, supply chains are breaking, and the Great Resignation is hitting all industries. Two years into COVID-19, the economy can really only be described in one word: wild. So what exactly is going on, and where might things be headed?

Join Kellogg finance professor Sergio Rebelo—an expert in macroeconomics and international finance—next month for The Insightful Leader Live webinar, where he will offer his unique perspective.

The free, one-hour webinar takes place Feb. 3 at 11:30 central time. You can register here.