Teams That Work

“Teamwork is not a talent you’re born with; it’s a skill anyone can learn.”

1. Teamwork Cannot Replace Lack of Skills

While teamwork can amplify a group's success, it cannot compensate for fundamental skill gaps among its members. Teams require individuals who possess both technical expertise and teamwork abilities to perform well. For example, a basketball team filled with enthusiastic but incapable players cannot defeat a technically superior team, no matter how coordinated they are.

Investing in team-related capabilities is as important as focusing on technical skills. Team-specific skills like active listening, conflict resolution, and interpersonal communication lay the foundation for collaboration. These skills can either be trained or brought into the team through hiring.

Teams that focus only on technical expertise without cultivating teamwork-related skills often fail to maximize their potential. A balance between expertise and collaboration abilities is key to sustainable success.

Examples

• A basketball game where the underdogs lose despite great coordination, because they lack the physical capabilities to compete.
• A tech project failing because teammates prioritized technical skills over learning to communicate effectively.
• Teams in high-performance settings excelling because they train not only on task-specific skills but also on collaboration techniques.

2. Trust and Safety Build Cooperation

People cannot cooperate effectively without psychological safety and mutual trust. When team members feel safe to express opinions, admit mistakes, or ask for help without fear of retribution, the group thrives. However, when these conditions are missing, teams can experience disasters like the Mount Everest tragedy of 1996.

Psychological safety allows members to share ideas openly, while trust helps teams work together productively, even under stress. Trust is situational and can be earned through consistent behaviors, such as delivering on promises and actively listening. Additionally, “collective efficacy,” where team members believe in their ability to succeed together, further drives cooperation.

When teams lack these foundational beliefs, they struggle with miscommunication, fear, and disengagement. Establishing trust and emotional safety is as important as setting professional goals.

Examples

• Mount Everest tragedy caused by climbers' fear of dissenting against their leader’s poor decision.
• Google teams outperforming others due to their promotion of psychological safety in the workplace.
• A hospital’s emergency room staff showing better outcomes when they trust and depend on each other during critical operations.

3. Coordinating Behaviors Shape Team Success

For seamless collaboration, teams need behaviors like observing changes, supporting each other, and adapting when necessary. These coordination habits ensure smooth functioning, even under unforeseen circumstances. Consider a situation in a department store where employees hand off a customer between them without skipping a beat – this level of collaboration is no accident.

Monitoring, or staying aware of the group’s activity, serves as the foundation for identifying opportunities to step in and assist. Offering support, whether by taking over a task or providing input, strengthens team dynamics. Finally, smart adaptability, like changing roles mid-task, ensures the team remains effective even when plans go astray.

Teams that deliberately adopt and practice these behaviors consistently outperform those that do not focus on fostering coordination. It’s a behavior cultivated through awareness and consistent practice.

Examples

• A department store salesperson stepping in for a busy coworker to provide seamless customer service.
• Air Force personnel using situational awareness to anticipate and handle challenges.
• A restaurant kitchen performing effortlessly because everyone anticipates others' needs efficiently.

4. Clear and Effective Communication Works Better Than More Communication

When it comes to teamwork, clarity trumps volume. Quality communication focuses on delivering accurate, timely, and useful messages. Simply increasing the amount of communication often leads to confusion and redundancy, not better results.

In high-pressure environments like hospitals, miscommunication has resulted in severe injuries or even fatalities. Yet in a miraculous landing on the Hudson River, the flight crew avoided disaster in part due to precise communication. A structured technique, such as closed-loop communication, can dramatically improve clarity. It involves verifying received messages to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Teams that stick to purposeful and clear exchanges not only avoid misunderstandings but also save time. Avoid overloading members with excessive chatter and instead focus on sharing impactful, actionable information.

Examples

• Minimal but impactful communication among staff in a top-tier Michelin-starred kitchen.
• The Hudson River emergency landing succeeding partly due to impeccable crew communication.
• A sports team losing time and opportunity due to vague and redundant instructions during play.

5. Shared Cognitions Enable Quick Adaptations

Teams function best when members have a unified understanding of goals, roles, and procedures. This shared cognition allows for fluid adjustments when challenges arise or emergencies occur. Without shared knowledge and expectations, quick pivots become nearly impossible.

Shared cognition often includes contingency plans, role clarity, and mutual agreement on team priorities. Teams that train and prepare like this are more adept in crisis moments, such as when a cruise-ship crew smoothly manages evacuation scenarios. Simultaneously, this alignment boosts daily performance by encouraging everyone to share responsibility and work toward common objectives.

Such collective understanding takes preparation and intentional effort. Teams must establish mutual expectations and rehearse their roles before real situations demand them.

Examples

• A project presentation being salvaged midway because team members understood contingency plans.
• Cruise ship crews operating efficiently during emergency situations due to pre-trained shared cognitions.
• A cohesive rally around shared goals taking place at volunteer-driven events or work projects.

6. Poor Environments Undermine Teamwork

Even the strongest teams struggle in conditions that discourage collaboration. When organizations fail to create supportive environments, teammates may prioritize individual gain over group success, as seen with the sales team that faked phone calls to avoid working.

Toxic environments arise when incentives favor selfish behavior, resources are limited, or there’s a lack of support from leadership. Conversely, positive environments encourage employees to work beyond their defined roles and embrace the team’s collective goal.

Fixing the conditions for teamwork often starts with revising company policies and rewarding collaborative efforts. In places where leadership and structure support teamwork, employees are not only happier but far more productive.

Examples

• A department store changing HR rules to reward helpful coworking behaviors versus individual sales gains.
• Organizations failing to provide resources or support, leading teams to become ineffective.
• Companies with clear leadership and aligned values fostering collaboration successfully.

7. Leadership Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Leadership is more functional than hierarchical. Effective team leaders focus on ensuring that the group has everything it needs to succeed, rather than controlling members. Anyone in a team can adopt leadership functions such as encouraging growth, aligning goals, or removing barriers.

Seven critical leadership behaviors include promoting learning, fostering psychological safety, holding teammates accountable, managing emotions, ensuring clarity, reducing obstacles, and empowering participation. Successful teams often include contributors who cycle through leadership roles based on the situation.

Empowering more members to act as leaders creates a sense of shared ownership, increasing both organizational success and individual satisfaction.

Examples

• A basketball team improving over time by encouraging every member to show leadership qualities.
• Kitchen staff at high-performing restaurants thriving under a shared sense of responsibility.
• A retail team excelling in customer service after incentives for teamwork are introduced.

Takeaways

1. Conduct regular team debriefs. Use them to reflect on successes and areas for improvement throughout every phase of a project.
2. Improve team communication by practicing closed-loop techniques to ensure everyone understands and confirms shared information.
3. Foster psychological safety by welcoming honest feedback, encouraging different viewpoints, and leading by example in accepting mistakes.