It takes two to tango

Why two heads are better than one.

Do you have a best friend at work? This question, strange as it may sound is part of an internationally renowned study by Gallup, which investigates the correlation between employee attitudes and company profitability. Over the course of nearly ten years they have whittled their findings down to 12 questions, (The Gallup Q12) which have proved to be key indicators of increased business performance.

This question has always intrigued me. Aren't we looking at the corporate world rather than the primary school playground? Did the Gallup people run out of ideas? Does Q12 just sound better than Q11?

Apparently none of the above. The serious souls at Gallup appear to be on to something. In a new book (The Power of 2) (which can be purchased from the Moneyweb Shop) Rodd Wagner  and Gale Muller outline why two is the magic number if we really want to make a so-called "dent in the universe" (as Steve Jobs of Apple puts it).

These great start-ups prove the "it takes two to Tango": Apple (the two Steves- Jobs and Wozniak); Microsoft (Bill Gates and Paul Allen); HP (Bill Hewlett and David Packard). Emerging research in the entrepreneurship field indicates that start-ups are much more likely to succeed if driven by a partnership. Based on this, cutting edge entrepreneurship courses are being redesigned as I write this, focusing on the teaching of an entrepreneurship pair as opposed to a lone (albeit talented) individual.

To read the full, original article click on this link: It takes two to tango - Sweet spot | Moneyweb

Author: Tracey Swanepoel