What Makes Teams Work?

Teams win because they are a stable, bounded group of individuals who are interdependent in achieving a shared outcome and work or practice together over a long period of time. In today’s fast-paced world where change is constant and disruption is an aim of business, diverse teams are brought together quickly and expected to achieve great things, often under immense time pressure, with complex and ambiguous requirements and no real certainty of the outcome. Amy Edmondson’s TED Talk on teaming sheds light on why some teams can come together to accomplish great things by bonding, finding a common purpose, and being prepared to try new things and fail. Leaders who practice situational humility and remain curious, create an environment of Psychological Safety that allows team members to speak up without fear of criticism or ridicule.