Good Team, Bad Team

Why do some teams thrive while others struggle just to stay afloat? The answer often lies in how well they harness their members' individual strengths and align them toward a shared goal.

1. Thinking Preferences Shape Problem-Solving

Everyone has a unique way of thinking and solving problems. These approaches, called thinking preferences, can influence how they contribute to a team. The four main preferences — clarifying, ideating, developing, and implementing — represent distinct ways people view challenges and solutions.

Clarifiers prefer to understand the problem deeply before doing anything, asking questions and gathering data. Ideators jump into creative brainstorming, offering new ideas without overanalyzing first. Developers evaluate and refine ideas, ensuring they're viable. Implementers focus on taking action and achieving results. Each of these styles comes with its own strengths and potential blind spots.

When team members misunderstand each other's styles, conflict and inefficiency arise. For instance, a clarifier might get annoyed with an ideator's tendency to skip directly to brainstorming, while an implementer could find a developer's refining process unnecessarily slow. By recognizing and appreciating these differences, teams can use them to enhance collaboration instead of letting them cause friction.

Examples

• A clarifier creates a detailed plan that helps an ideator better focus on generating relevant ideas.
• Developers and implementers balance each other by refining a concept and turning it into actionable steps.
• A team struggling with indecision reaches success when they learn to combine their thinking preferences methodically.

2. Diverse Perspectives Drive Better Solutions

Having team members with different thinking preferences is a strength, not a weakness. A range of styles ensures that every phase of problem-solving — from understanding to execution — is covered.

Teams that overly favor one thinking style may fall short. For example, a group full of ideators might brainstorm endlessly without defining the problem. On the other hand, teams dominated by implementers might rush into action without considering alternatives or potential risks. Balancing these strengths creates a dynamic where differing views complement each other.

Embracing cognitive diversity means understanding what each team member brings to the table and assigning roles accordingly. Teams aligned in this way foster creativity and maximize efficiency, ensuring that tasks play to members' natural styles and strengths.

Examples

• A team made primarily of ideators realizes they need a clarifier to help define their challenges.
• Implementers struggling to achieve goals improve when they involve a developer to refine their process.
• A project team explicitly assigns the clarifying phase to their data-oriented member, producing better results.

3. Purpose Unifies a Team Toward Success

A shared purpose is the glue that holds a team together. Without clarity about their mission, even the most skilled team can falter. Knowing "why" they exist and setting meaningful goals ensures that the group works toward the same endpoint.

Etienne, a leader of 150 specialists, united his disjointed team by having them devise clear statements of their functions and accomplishments. This exercise gave everyone a sense of direction and purpose, which over time led to groundbreaking outcomes, like record-setting patents and new FDA standards.

Establishing purpose isn’t a one-time task. Leaders must continuously reinforce it to keep the team momentum alive. Revisiting and reaffirming purpose during meetings and decision-making ensures it stays fresh in everyone’s minds.

Examples

• A scattered team gains focus after creating a concise team charter together.
• Regularly discussing the team's purpose at the start of meetings boosts sense of alignment.
• Clarity about a shared goal allows cross-discipline experts to engage and collaborate effortlessly.

4. Trust Is the Foundation of Teamwork

Trust is essential for any team to succeed. It allows members to rely on each other, feel safe sharing ideas, and commit their full effort. Without it, collaboration crumbles.

Shyla, an engineering leader, learned this the hard way. By withholding information from her team, she damaged trust, causing frustration and turnover among her top performers. Teams that trust one another perform better, feel less stress, and are more innovative.

Building trust starts with transparent communication. Leaders must be open and encourage openness among team members. Besides, acknowledging mistakes and showing vulnerability can further help create an environment where trust thrives.

Examples

• Shyla's team dynamic improves when she begins sharing information unreservedly.
• Psychological studies show that trust increases productivity and lowers stress across workplaces.
• Teams where leaders admit mistakes and ask for feedback report higher morale and performance.

5. Clear Team Charters Encourage Engagement

A team charter is more than a document — it's a shared agreement. It outlines roles, responsibilities, and the team’s larger purpose. Creating one together ensures every member feels ownership over the team’s direction.

Rather than dictating the charter to her team, Etienne facilitated a collaborative creation process. This ownership aligned everyone toward common goals, which transformed the way they worked together. Team charters act as a consistent reference that prevents misunderstandings over who does what.

A good charter also includes practical details, like communication plans and decision-making methods. These tools help teams stay aligned, especially when they face tough situations or new challenges.

Examples

• Teams resolve role confusion by referring to their collaboratively written charter.
• Including communication guidelines in the charter helps avoid miscommunication in hybrid setups.
• Reinforcing purpose through the charter adds focus to strategic planning sessions.

6. Conflict Is a Normal Stage Toward Cohesion

Every team goes through phases: forming, storming, norming, and performing. During the storming phase, conflicts are common as members adjust to working together. This conflict isn’t a failure — it’s an opportunity for growth.

Understanding thinking preferences can turn this phase into a productive experience. For example, teaching a team how clarifiers and developers think differently can dispel frustration during brainstorming or refinement.

Leaders should encourage open discussions about differing styles. This awareness creates smoother collaboration and helps teams quickly progress into the norming and performing stages.

Examples

• A new project team resolves tensions by mapping out each member’s thinking preference.
• Introducing structured conflict resolution tools helps a storming team collaborate effectively.
• During norming, a team experiments with better ways to blend styles, becoming more cohesive.

7. Structured Problem-Solving Unlocks Creativity

Complex challenges demand more than a hasty brainstorm; they require a structured approach. Teams that move systematically through clarifying, ideating, developing, and implementing solve problems more effectively.

Structured processes like Design Thinking or Lean Six Sigma incorporate these steps, offering adaptable frameworks for complex problems. More importantly, they give all thinking styles a role to play.

Teams can improve their creativity by assigning ownership of specific problem phases to members with aligned thinking preferences, ensuring thoroughness and better results.

Examples

• A manufacturing team uses Lean Six Sigma to optimize their production process step-by-step.
• Assigning all clarifying work to a data analyst brings valuable depth to the entire project team.
• A structured approach prevents a team of implementers from rushing past defining key problems.

8. Iteration Drives Better Results

Working through a problem isn’t a one-and-done process. Teams must revisit their ideas, refine them, and test hypotheses over time. Iteration requires resiliency and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

Prototyping, experimenting, and rethinking solutions foster breakthroughs. Feedback loops give teams a chance to regroup and course-correct if they discover problems with their initial approaches.

Rather than striving for perfection upfront, high-performing teams embrace iteration as a natural and necessary part of their work.

Examples

• A tech group pivots their app design after testing reveals user dissatisfaction.
• A marketing team continually tweaks its campaign based on trial launches.
• Feedback from a client transforms a half-formed idea into a high-impact solution.

9. Collaboration Enables Shared Wins

Ultimately, great teams don’t just tolerate differences — they celebrate them. A team that highlights members’ strengths and combines their efforts creates outcomes that no individual could achieve alone.

High-performing teams respect each role, feedback, and diverse contributions. They create environments in which every individual feels their input is valuable.

Regular reflection and learning make collaboration even stronger, moving the group from good to great.

Examples

• A sports team wins championships by building strategies based on each player’s unique talent.
• A research team with varied skills completes a groundbreaking study together.
• Collaboration between contrasting styles produces innovative breakthroughs in design organizations.

Takeaways

1. Learn more about your team's thinking preferences and assign roles that align with their strengths.
2. Regularly reaffirm your team's purpose to keep members focused and inspired.
3. Foster trust through transparency, vulnerability, and celebrating small wins as a team.