Into a Downward Spiral: How Our Old Models Lead to Failure--Why Good Teams Fail

The key message that is drilled into all of us in team-building sessions and training guides--and what we're all used to practicing in our organizations--is that effective performance depends on what goes on inside the team. Good internal team functioning is important for success, so it isn't wrong or surprising that teams focus inward. The problem is that it isn't enough. This chapter looks at what happens in exclusively internally focused teams to set them on a misguided path and keep them moving in the wrong direction, illustrating the need for a new model that integrates the external work teams must do to achieve success.