Coaching alone can’t fix poorly designed teams

"What makes good teamwork?" someone asked me during a phone interview for the Cisco Sales Academy graduate program.

"A group of individuals with the right expertise," I replied proud I was ready for that one.

"And is that enough...?" they pressed.

I hesitated. Wasn't that the right answer? Was there more to it?

Isn’t it how we worked in teams at school ? Just needed our classmates to come prepared.

The funny thing is, a competent recruiter might ask you this question,

and you might even respond much better then me,

but once you're hired, you're thrust into a whole new world of "real work"—where no one really teaches these things.

You know teams are essential, but do you understand what makes them thrive?

How many "team-building" events have you attended, only to see your colleagues return to the same struggles—unable to communicate effectively or make progress?

I noticed this disconnect early on—the gap between "hands-on" work and the typical "team-building" or "training" exercises.

So let me share the secret:

Structure drives behaviour:

In the world of collaboration, behaviours are key, and they are driven by underlying structures.

The same person or a team can excel in one company and struggle in another, all because of the existing structures.

To address this, we turn to Structural Team Coaching.

What does this mean?

• Essentials :

Just as a house needs a strong foundation, teams require three essentials:

1. A Real Team – One that necessitates interdependence.
2. A Unique Purpose – Why does this team exist? If it didn’t, why would it need to be created?
3. The Right People in the Right Places – Ensuring roles align with individual strengths.

• Enablers :

Once the essentials are in place, three enablers accelerate success.

1. Sound Structure – What processes does the team follow?
2. Strong Norms – How do team members behave and collaborate during their work?
3. Supportive Context – Does the team have the resources and information it needs?

Team Coaching:

Finally, team coaching takes a well-designed team to world-class. But coaching alone can't fix poorly designed teams.

It's the last stage of excellence AFTER the essentials and enablers are already in place.

So I only got 1/6 conditions right in that interview.

Since then I got to work on great teams and poor teams.

And great teams never happen on their own.

Investing in a team formation upfront save you never-ending delays, debates or permanent silences, headaches, destructive conflicts, scapegoating leaders and retention problems down the line.

As we move from individual-centric to team-centric and group-centric organisations, it becomes clear:

Strong team design leads to strong teams.