It was not straightforward.
And that was before the Executive Director hurled a dictionary at the VP of Public Relations’ head.
That day, I learned two valuable lessons:
1. Teams, like people, are unique so there is no standard playbook that always works
2. Remove heavy objects from meeting rooms
Principles behind the patterns
Over the past few weeks, you’ve learned why teams stall and the four attributes of successful teams. We also discussed why teams that appear to have the same struggles often need completely different solutions to be more effective.
This last point is especially important given our (my) tendency to go straight to fixing the things that aren’t working, like the delayed handoff in last week’s article. But what isn’t working is actually a seam, a symptom of weakness in one or more of the four attributes.
To fix what’s not working, we must diagnose the Interaction Pattern across the four attributes and the leans in the Think-Do and Individual-Team axes. That diagnosis is rooted in three key principles:
Every pattern is a dynamic, not a score. Two teams with the same number of strengths can behave very differently. That’s why you get an Interaction Pattern, not a score. The pattern names the behavior, so the next move is the right one for that specific team.
Severity before shape. If even a single attribute is Underdeveloped (red in the Diagnostic report), something needs to change quickly. Even if every other attribute is Emerging (yellow) or Established (green), a single underdeveloped attribute throws the team off-track.
Thinking before doing. If all the attributes are Emerging or Established, look at the lean. Most teams lean towards Doing (Core Skill Mastery and Single Process) but if you start doing before you’ve done the thinking, you’re just running faster in the wrong direction.
One seam. Three patterns. Three fixes.
Remember the teams from last week? Three teams each missed a deadline for handing off a project from R&D to manufacturing. One seam (delayed handoff) but three different patterns. This is how we made each one seamless.
Aligned but Stuck: “Everyone agrees on the plan. It just doesn’t happen.”
Every attribute was Established except Single Process. So, we built one. This is where the usual meetings, trackers, and RACI charts worked, but only because the team already shared a Collaborative Mindset and agreed on Shared Goals & Principles.
Quiet Misalignment: “Everyone’s working hard, just not toward the same thing.”
The people were skilled and collaborative (strong individual lean), but the team had no shared answer to what wins when priorities collide. R&D optimized for performance. Manufacturing optimized for cost.
We started by establishing Shared Goals & Principles, deciding together what wins when performance and cost collide. Then we put status meetings and dashboards in place.
Why that order? Without shared principles, a better process simply tracks each function’s pursuit of their own goals more closely.
Fragile Foundation: “Too many things need fixing at once.”
Everything except Core Skill Mastery needed attention. The instinct is to pick one thing you can do to improve and focus there. Put in place a process. Add more oversight. But fixing one thing doesn’t work when most everything needs attention.
So, we focused on strengthening the thinking attributes and agreed on Shared Goals & Principles and made a Collaborative Mindset non-negotiable. Then built the Single Process.
Find your pattern first. Then pick the fixes.
The seam tells you something isn’t working. The pattern tells you where to start.
There are ten patterns, representing 81 different combinations. No wonder following the “team effectiveness playbook” wasn’t straightforward (still not sure that throwing a dictionary was the right answer, though).
Curious? Take the free Seamless Innovation Diagnostic. When your team is ready to take it, hit Reply and we’ll help you get everyone in.
FAQs
What should a team fix first when work keeps stalling?
Start with what’s missing, not what hurts. A delayed handoff is a seam, a symptom that one or more of the four attributes need attention. Find the Interaction Pattern first. If any attribute is Underdeveloped, change it quickly even if the rest are Emerging or Established. If none is, do the thinking before the doing.
Why doesn't adding process fix a team working toward different goals?
Because without shared principles, a better process simply tracks each function’s pursuit of its own goals more closely. On one team, R&D optimized for performance and manufacturing optimized for cost. The first fix was establishing Shared Goals & Principles, deciding together what wins when performance and cost collide. Only then did status meetings and dashboards go in.