What Makes a Successful Team?

It’s no surprise that technology has greatly changed the way we work and grow our organizations. Technology is largely responsible for increasing the speed at which individuals, teams, and organizations are expected to perform and grow. There is substantial pressure on workers to learn new skills, generate new innovative and creative products and services, and collaborate to solve complicated problems. We have more people working in cross-functional teams than ever before in our organizations. On the positive side, teams enable organizations to solve problems faster while designing more creative solutions.

In order for teams to realize the positive benefits of collaboration, individuals need to feel a connection with their team members. Trust is critical to working in teams successfully. People need psychological safety to experiment, fail, and propose new ideas, all of which are prerequisites for innovation. To be creative and innovative requires individuals to take risks and an environment where ideas are openly shared and accepted.

Vulnerability is the foundation of collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Without vulnerability, we are less likely to build trust and create the deep connections required between individuals to create an environment of psychological safety.