If you want to understand what makes a great team, the research has already been done. Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith explored this question extensively in their classic 1993 book, The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization.
Their findings reveal that high-performing teams consistently demonstrate five vital ingredients:
- Trust – Team members have confidence in one another.
- Constructive Conflict – They are able to work through differences productively.
- Commitment – They are willing to make and honor commitments to each other.
- Accountability – They hold one another responsible for shared goals and performance.
- Attention to Results – They care deeply about achieving collective outcomes.
1. Trust: The Foundation of Every Great Team
Everything begins with trust. Trusting yourself to deliver on your promises—and trusting others to do the same—is the foundation of any strong relationship.
In a team, trust also means believing that you can navigate disagreements respectfully. Members can openly challenge ideas, discuss opposing views, and find common ground. When trust is present, conflict becomes a tool for growth rather than a threat to harmony.
2. Constructive Conflict: Turning Differences into Strengths
When trust exists, teams can engage in healthy conflict—the kind that sparks innovation and clarifies thinking. Effective teams debate ideas without personal attacks. They understand that tension, when managed well, leads to stronger decisions and greater creativity.
3. Commitment: The Power of Buy-In
Once a team has worked through differences, genuine commitment emerges. In business terms, this is “buy-in.”
Commitment transforms a group of individuals into a true team. It means aligning behind shared goals and being willing to go the extra mile—not because of authority, but because of shared purpose.
4. Accountability: Owning the Outcome Together
Commitment naturally leads to accountability. When team members believe in the mission and trust one another, they willingly hold themselves—and each other—responsible.
Great teams don’t rely solely on the leader for discipline or feedback. Instead, they engage in peer accountability, addressing issues directly and constructively. This keeps performance standards high and relationships strong.
5. Attention to Results: Putting the Team Above the Individual
When trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability are in place, teams can finally focus on results.
At this stage, individual egos fade into the background. The team’s success becomes more important than personal recognition. Members collaborate, celebrate wins together, and continually look for ways to improve collective outcomes.
The Flip Side: What Happens When These Elements Are Missing?
Patrick Lencioni, in his 2005 book Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, explored what happens when these five qualities are absent. His model mirrors Katzenbach and Smith’s—but in reverse, highlighting the breakdowns that occur when trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results are missing.
He describes the dysfunctions as follows:
- Absence of Trust:
Team members are unwilling to be vulnerable, hide weaknesses, and avoid honesty. Without emotional safety, openness and collaboration vanish.
- Fear of Conflict:
When trust is absent, teams avoid productive debate. They prioritize artificial harmony over truth-seeking and innovation.
- Lack of Commitment:
Without healthy conflict, there’s no true buy-in. Decisions feel imposed, and team members hesitate to act decisively.
- Avoidance of Accountability:
Without commitment, accountability disappears. Team members rely on the leader to enforce standards rather than holding each other accountable.
- Inattention to Results:
Ultimately, when trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability fail, individuals focus on personal gain—status, ego, or departmental priorities—at the expense of team success.
As Lencioni writes, teams that overcome these dysfunctions “set aside individual needs and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team.”
Building Great Teams: Where to Begin
If you coach, train, or consult with groups, these five elements provide a clear framework for building high-performing teams.
Start with trust, nurture healthy conflict, drive commitment, encourage peer accountability, and sustain focus on results.
When these five forces align, the result is not just collaboration—but excellence.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- [Neurons] 2025 Neurons #46 GREAT TEAMS –WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. Executive Director, ISNS.
