X-Teams, Revised and Updated

1 Avoid the Downward Spiral Our Old Models Don’t Work

When teaching executive programs on teams, we often start the session by asking participants, “What do you think is the most important characteristic of successful teams?” Without much prompting the answers pour out: clear roles and goals, conflict management, trust, team spirit, rational decision-making, diversity among members, accountability, rewards for teamwork. The list goes on and on.

While lists differ somewhat from one session to the next, the pattern of responses is clear and continues year in and year out: team members need to support each other, set goals, and figure out a structure and a way of working together to meet those goals.

This notion that effective performance depends ...