As social media marketers know, social outreach projects need to function like clockwork—often in real time—to be truly effective.

But how do you build project teams that consistently produce? Here's an interesting suggestion for achieving that goal.

Michael Schrage recently challenged businesses to put their best people on their most boring, everyday tasks once in a while. Why? Because your "stars," when assigned to menial challenges, will come up with approaches and solutions that "annihilate inefficiencies," he argues, and build your team's creative prowess over time.

The People Equation's Jennifer Miller takes this philosophy a step further, and asserts that being able to identify and fill four key roles on any given project enables your top talent to better tackle any initiative.

The four roles you'll need to fill with smart people to move your projects forward—and keep your teamwork vital—are:

• Creator. The visionaries on your team, creators come up with original ideas and pass them on to those who can convert them into serious solutions.
• Advancer. An "advancer" builds connections within the group, forming coalitions and ensuring stakeholders' voices get heard.
• Refiner. Your project "editor," the refiner spots gaps in your process, and fills them.
• Executor. The milestones person keeps the project moving forward—on time and on budget.

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