Following the data: The research behind great managers at Google

Google’s quest to understand what makes a great manager began with a surprising hypothesis: Managers don't actually matter. This initial belief, expressed by some of our own in the early 2000s, saw managers as a necessary evil at best – and, at worst, a roadblock to out-of-the-box thinking.

Since then, two decades of internal research has dispelled these misconceptions, proving that highly effective managers are in fact instrumental in facilitating creativity, team success, and positive business outcomes. And the data was more than just eye-opening, it was also practically applicable - directly contributing to how we develop, evaluate, and support managers at Google.

Google’s first attempt to understand the impact of managers culminated in a multi-year study called Project Oxygen. We analyzed over 10,000 data points about our managers, taken from performance reviews and feedback surveys, as well as taking hundreds of pages of notes from interviews with Googlers. The findings were clear: Teams with highly effective managers were more likely to achieve better results, be happier, and experience lower turnover.

Project Oxygen identified 10 key behaviors of highly effective Google managers:

• Be a good coach
  
  
• Empower the team without micromanaging
  
  
• Create a team environment that values everyone
  
  
• Focus on productivity and results
  
  
• Communicate effectively  
  
  
• Support career development and discuss performance 
  
  
• Implement a clear vision and strategy 
  
  
• Have key technical skills 
  
  
• Collaborate across Google
  
  
• Make strong decisions

Building on Project Oxygen's insights, we broadened the scope of our research to investigate the factors that contribute to an effective team. Project Aristotle was named in tribute to the philosopher’s quote, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” We studied hundreds of Google teams from all around the world, evaluating metrics ranging from the success of product launches to the likelihood of meeting revenue goals.

The study’s key insight is that how a team works together is more important than who is on the team. An effective team sets meaningful, clear, impactful goals, and blends open communication with a culture of continuous learning. As a result, team members are more willing to embrace varied ideas from their colleagues, and our data shows that they are rated as “effective” twice as often by their managers.

Effective teams also deliver consistently high performance on key metrics. For example, the research found that sales teams that worked together effectively brought in more revenue, exceeding their targets by an average of 17%. Teams that did not fell short of their targets by up to 19%.

The data-driven insights from Projects Oxygen and Aristotle – together with ongoing Googler feedback, additional research, and evolving business needs – are foundational to Google’s approach to management today. Most notably, the research helped shape a company-wide framework, Google Manager Responsibilities, which emphasize three core expectations of all managers.

Google Manager Responsibilities:

• Deliver Results focuses on creating tangible impact for the team and organization through determining priorities, setting and communicating goals, and keeping the team agile and motivated in times of change.
  
  
• Develop People involves setting clear expectations, providing relevant feedback and coaching, engaging in meaningful career conversations, and supporting team members’ growth by exploring development opportunities.
  
  
• Build Community enables team success through collaboration, connection, open communication and sustainable high performance, creating a resilient team capable of navigating changes and driving innovation together.
  
  

This framework is now deeply integrated into Google's performance management system, guiding feedback and performance reviews, and underpinning leadership development programs at The Google School for Leaders.

Since rolling out these manager responsibilities, ongoing research continues to validate the impact of great managers. For example, Googlers whose managers exhibit strong performance on the manager responsibilities report that they reach higher levels of productivity. Plus, they are more likely to say that their work gives them a strong sense of purpose and that there are opportunities for learning and development in their current role. Managers also report more positive work experiences when their own managers perform well. And we also use our research to inform the knowledge, skills and mindsets that managers learn at The Google School for Leaders (see our article, “Elevating Managers: Google’s Development Strategy”).

As the pace of change continues to accelerate across industries and around the world, managers will play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the success of both teams and organizations. Google takes a data-driven approach to identifying what makes a great manager and to supporting managers to deliver on those expectations. Companies anywhere, of any size, can consider applying these insights to evolve the manager role and drive business impact in their unique workplace.

With the help of AI, managers at any company can strengthen their skills aligned to these research-backed capabilities identified by Google. To use AI responsibly, don’t share confidential or sensitive company information or personal data with publicly available AI tools, and be sure to check and adhere to your organization’s policies regarding AI usage.

Here are example AI prompts any manager can try:

Deliver Results

• “Help me outline a process for breaking down a large team goal [describe without sensitive details] into smaller, manageable milestones with suggested timeframes.”
  
  
• “Create a list of five open-ended questions I can ask team members during our next one-on-one meeting to confirm their understanding of our goals."
  
  

Develop People

• “What are three effective open-ended coaching questions I can use in my next one-on-one meeting with a team member who is facing a challenge with [describe without sensitive details] to help them identify their own solutions?"
  
  
• "Outline a strategy for starting a feedback conversation with a team member who is [describe without sensitive details], focusing on empathy and shared goals. What are three open-ended questions I can ask to understand the root causes of the issue?"
  
  

Build Community

• "Create three actionable strategies I can use in the next week to build stronger one-on-one relationships with my team members, focusing on understanding their interests and motivations beyond their job titles."
  
  
• "I want to create stronger relationships within my team. What team-building activities or events could I organize?”