Team Genius Book Summary - Team Genius Book explained in key points

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Team Genius summary

Name: Team Genius
Rating: 3.8 (44 reviews)
Author: Rich Karlgaard and Michael S. Malone

Rich Karlgaard and Michael S. Malone

The New Science of High-Performing Organizations

3.8 (44 ratings)

15 mins

Table of Contents

Team Genius
summarized in 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Team up for success.

We’re all familiar with the myth: the entrepreneurial giants of the world – people like Elon Musk and Bill Gates – had to fight their way to the top, single-handedly and against all odds. And of course that’s the story we’re fed. The tale of one person’s trajectory is more engaging than an exploration of a team’s dynamics. It’s also easier to put one person’s face on a magazine cover.

But such success stories mislead. Behind each successful individual is a team. Indeed, good teams are at the heart of every thriving business. But what is a good team? And how do you create one?

In these blinks, you’ll learn

that there’s no “I” in Steve Jobs;
what the cast of Friends can teach us about teams; and
why you and your teammates should celebrate more.

With technology evolving rapidly, enterprises need maneuverability to adapt.

Technology is developing faster than ever; our world is increasingly interconnected; life as we know it may never be the same again – you’ve heard it all before, right? These days, we’ve more or less accepted that the world is changing, and fast. But have we learned to keep up with it?

Businesses that want to survive within rapidly shifting markets must have one crucial skill: Maneuverability, that is, the ability to change direction quickly so that enterprise stays afloat.

To get an idea of what maneuverability looks like in action, let’s take a look at Apple.

Back in 2002, the future of the company was uncertain. And yet, in 2012, as other companies such as US Airways, Enron and Adelphia Communication Corporation were struggling with poor performance and bankruptcy, Apple was worth a whopping $656 billion. How did they pull this off? Well, Apple had met the needs of changing markets by successfully introducing not one but five groundbreaking products: the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone, the iPad and the Apple store.

Time and time again, Apple proved capable of discerning what customers wanted, and acting on this information fast. At the heart of the company is a culture of risk-taking, agility and efficiency; employees simply wouldn’t dare approach Steve Jobs with a design or plan that was anything less than daring. This culture allowed the company to attract and keep talented employees through thick and thin.

Maneuverability, risk-taking and brilliant employees are the three key ingredients to Apple’s recipe for success. But what brought it all together? Powerful teams. What exactly makes a team powerful? Find out in the coming blinks!

Humans work wonders when we work together.

The Egyptian pyramids are one of the world’s great mysteries. Not only are they filled with strange traps and untold treasures, their construction is also hard to fathom. Our best guess is that they were built with sheer manpower: 10,000 workers built them over the course of ten years.

The pyramids demonstrate that humans are meant to work together. Teamwork is a common thread that runs through our evolutionary history. By connecting and cooperating with others, humans have made their own survival possible.

Powerful teams are built on diversity.

Even our pop culture is filled with stories of great teams. Think of Charmed, Friends or The Three Musketeers. Films and television shows that focus on the power of teamwork are often well loved for their portrayals of dissimilar individuals that come together and connect with each other. This is something companies can learn from, too!

The president of Nissan Design, Jerry Hirshberg, has taken this lesson to heart.

Partnerships turn ambitions into reality.

Lovers and couples embody the most natural partnership humans can form: pairs. Pairs are common in businesses, too – particularly in stories of success.

Although we all dream of making it big on our own, we often need a partner to overcome unforeseen challenges. Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz was determined to expand his business in the early ’90s. After opening a few hundred new stores across the United States, however, his company began to suffer.

Trios allow for an even more powerful form of teamwork.

Trios are a rare constellation. Why? Well, they tend to become pairs, by losing a member, or quartets, when another member joins. But when a trio is maintained, it can thrive like any other team. Trios often begin as pairs, but the way they gain their third member varies. This in turn can shape the nature of their teamwork.

The two plus one trio is particularly common. They often form after an original pair with similar skillsets joins an individual with different strengths to achieve a common goal. Take Walter Brattain and John Bardeen, for instance. Brilliant physicists at Bell Labs, Brattain and Bardeen made a good team. So when their boss, William Shockley, was tasked with designing a solid-state amplifier, he enlisted the help of the Brattain-Bardeen duo.

Teams of five to nine members are the most successful ones but require a discerning leader.

Here’s a question for you: How many digits can you memorize at once? Most humans can only manage somewhere between five and nine. And here’s another question: How many team members can you handle at once? The answer is the same.

Teams that range from five to nine members are the most effective, and the most common. Why? Well, teams this size are very functional. With five or more members, your team is large enough to elect an internal leader without their role causing tension or becoming redundant.

The start of any team should be celebrated.

What do wedding receptions, baby showers and New Year’s Eve parties have in common? Well, they all celebrate new beginnings. It’s something we all love to do, so why not celebrate the beginning of a new team, too?

In a team’s life cycle, the first and most crucial step is always the team’s formation. The way a team begins will shape everything it does in the future, so it’s worth considering the three factors that matter most: diversity, communication and size.

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What is Team Genius about?

Team Genius (2015) is a comprehensive guide to teamwork in business. These blinks explore the different forms of teamwork and how you can optimize your teams to keep them productive, motivated and innovative.

Best quote from Team Genius

Here is the uncomfortable truth: Humans run to a much slower evolutionary clock than our inventions.

—Rich Karlgaard and Michael S. Malone

Who should read Team Genius?

Group leaders
Team builders and team players
Anyone interested in what makes a team work

About the Author

Rich Karlgaard is the publisher of Forbes magazine, where he writes a featured column, covering business and leadership issues. He is a co-founder of Upside magazine, Garage Technology Partners as well as Silicon Valley's premier public business forum, the 7,500-member Churchill Club.

Michael S. Malone, the author of the bestsellers The Virtual Corporation, Bill & Dave and The Intel Trinity, is one of the world's best-known technology writers.

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