Researchers studying workplace social networks have found that having friends at work not only makes employees more productive and successful, but also makes them happier. Friends can hold each other accountable in a way that acquaintances cannot, and friends can help new employees understand the workplace faster.
Such was the case when Donte DiVincenzo signed with the NBA's New York Knicks in July. He did not have to think on his own how to get acquainted with Julius Randle, one of the leaders of the team, or how to decipher the idiosyncrasies of coach Tom Thibodeau. He already had two tour guides. They are college teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson.
“It's like being thrown into a fire where they're making jokes and talking about things that you don't understand,” DiVincenzo said while preparing for a recent game at Madison Square Garden. he said. “It's like skipping the implementation stage.”
The Knicks have exceeded expectations this season. Even after losing Randle to a shoulder injury, they finished the regular season in second place in the Eastern Conference and started Saturday's first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, winning 111-104. Some basketball experts believe this year could be the first time Brunson reaches the conference finals since 2000, when Brunson's father, Rick, was a bench player for the Knicks.
At the heart of the Knicks' success are Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo, who have been together on the court since they were teenagers. While this is a testament to their basketball skills, those who study the workplace say it also shows that when employees have friends among their colleagues at work, the entire organization can benefit.
“The truth is that when you join a company, you bond because of the people you're with every day,” said John Clifton, CEO of Gallup, who has studied the workplace.
“The closer you are, the faster you communicate,” Clifton added. “It's as if they've developed their own language. They have shortcuts for saying complex things in just a few words. But they've also built trust.”
One of the most cited studies on workplace friendships and performance is a 1997 paper published by two researchers, Karen Jen and Puri Shah. This paper conducted an experiment in which groups were asked to complete a motor task and a cognitive task together. Groups that identified themselves as friends were more successful in both types of tasks than groups that consisted of mere acquaintances.
“If you were to study a basketball team, you could probably encode some of the same behaviors that you observed in an experiment,” said Shah, now a professor at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
Jen and Shah found that there was less personal conflict in friendship groups. They “organize themselves intuitively” in a way that saves time and makes the work process smoother. On the basketball court, that might mean knowing intuitively what a teammate will do on a fast break, leading to an open layup.
Of course, there are teams that can have chemistry on the court even if they aren't close friends off the court. Conversely, friendship is not the only reason Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo were successful. All three demonstrated their abilities. But playing together might have added more excitement.
They became friends at Villanova University and won a national championship in 2016. Hart went to the NBA after the next season and followed in 2018 with DiVincenzo and Brunson winning the national title again.
Branson, 27, was the first of the three to arrive in New York. He signed as a free agent in 2022 and found success in a featured role. This year, he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Hart, 29, played for three teams before being traded to the Knicks last season. His tenacity and willingness to put in the hard work on the court made him an integral part of the team in a way no other team had.
DiVincenzo, 27, also played for three other teams before arriving in New York. His scoring average this season (15.5 points) is nearly five points higher than his career average.
Hart said the Knicks used some of the same concepts the three learned at Villanova. Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo are never far apart on the court. If the opponent attempts to escape, the three may quickly gather together to regain control. There are also times when you don't need to talk and can instinctively help each other.
“The other aspect is the responsibility aspect of intervening with men when needed,” Hart said.
That happened in a game this month after Brunson, the team's best player, allowed three 3-pointers in the first quarter to Keon Ellis of the Sacramento Kings, who was tasked with defending Brunson. Ms. Hart remembers DiVincenzo telling Brunson “just one word and telling him to wake up.” Ellis couldn't make any more 3-point shots.
“Once you get to know the man, you know there was no malicious intent,” Hart said.
DiVincenzo said Brunson and Hart made him more comfortable handling some of his off-court responsibilities as a Knick, such as photo shoots and interviews.
Shah said that if he were to study the Knicks like he would any other workplace, he would be interested in how Hart, Brunson and DiVincenzo interacted not only with each other but with the rest of the team.
“It's never just the three of us,” DiVincenzo said. “On the team it's always the two of us with three or four other guys. I think that's really important because it can get cliquey and high school-y, and That's not what we have here. We've grown up and we have people in the locker room who really like each other.”
Said Brunson At the end of a recent broadcast, he said, “We hate each other modestly, but we like each other. We joke with each other all the time. And somehow it turns into great team chemistry.”
Jessica Methot, associate professor of human resources management at Rutgers University, has found that employees who develop friendships with their immediate co-workers often receive higher performance reviews from their supervisors. She also said that workplace friendships can increase employee retention and improve overall satisfaction with the workplace.
“What keeps them committed and what keeps them engaged is the social structure of the organization and the social climate of the organization,” Methot said.
But her work runs counter to historical beliefs in organizations that work friends can be distracting and “encourage bad behavior within the organization.” Clifton also said she has had a hard time getting her executives to understand her belief that her friendships at work are beneficial.
So they probably won't be surprised to hear that Knicks coach Thibodeau downplayed the influence of camaraderie on the team's success. When asked about how the camaraderie among the players contributed to the winning season, Thibodeau shrugged.
“They would rather get along than not get along,” he said.