StringTheory: Hidden Connections in Teams
summary
Summarizes 20 years of team research (Hackman) into concrete rules: teams need a bounded social system, interdependent work, stable membership, a compelling consequential goal, aligned rewards and psychological safety. Demonstrates a hands‑on ball of string exercise with roughly 10 people to map connections, then randomly drops three holders and shows the web sagging and purposes disconnecting. Offers a 15‑minute team survey (beta PDF/twitter link) and practical coaching timing; watch if you want a reproducible diagnostic and a live demo that visibly fails and explains why.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Teams and hidden connections
- 3:39Teams stuck in storming phases
- 7:32What defines a real team
- 12:58Foundations for team success
- 19:41Team composition for high performance
- 22:13Team tasks and norms
- 28:20Coaching teams
- 30:05Social physics and psychological safety
- 33:41Systems thinking for team leadership
- 41:26Interactive team exercise
- 49:56Key takeaways
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