Team of Teams audiobook cover - New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World

Team of Teams

New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World

General Stanley McChrystal with Tantum Collins, David Silverman and Chris Fussel

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Management & LeadershipCorporate Culture

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Key Takeaways from Team of Teams

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Team of Teams
Shift from Efficiency to Complexity+
The Power of Teams+
Building a Team of Teams+
Shared Consciousness+
Empowered Execution+
The New Role of Leadership+
Practical Tools+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
According to the text, why is Frederick Winslow Taylor's model of 'scientific management' no longer sufficient for modern organizations?
  • A. It relies too heavily on modern information technology to track employee performance.
  • B. It prioritizes employee well-being and leisure time over raw production output.
  • C. It was designed for a predictable world, whereas today's interconnected world produces highly unpredictable outcomes.
  • D. It encourages too much decentralized decision-making among lower-level employees.
Question 2 of 7
What was the primary reason the elite American Task Force was initially struggling against al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)?
  • A. The American forces lacked the necessary firepower and resources to win individual battles.
  • B. They relied on a rigid, hierarchical structure and could not adapt quickly to an enemy with lightning-fast reflexes.
  • C. The American forces did not have a strong enough centralized command-and-control center.
  • D. They failed to build robust protective mechanisms, such as walls and backup generators.
Question 3 of 7
What key lesson is drawn from comparing the 1978 Portland plane crash to the 2009 Hudson River emergency landing?
  • A. Advanced autopilot technology is the only reliable way to navigate complex emergencies safely.
  • B. Complex problems are best solved by a single, highly experienced commander making all the decisions.
  • C. Teams bound by trust and a shared purpose can navigate complex crises far better than rigid command structures.
  • D. Efficiency and strict adherence to protocol are more important than team communication during a crisis.
Question 4 of 7
Why does the author argue against the traditional corporate practice of keeping information secret on a 'need-to-know' basis?
  • A. Because sharing information ensures that all employees can easily do each other's jobs if someone is absent.
  • B. Because modern technology makes it impossible to keep corporate secrets secure from competitors anyway.
  • C. Because Taylor's scientific management proved that information sharing directly increases production speed.
  • D. Because a shared understanding of the complete system is necessary for teams to make decisions that benefit the whole company.
Question 5 of 7
How did the author solve the problem of small teams working in silos and lacking trust in other departments within the American Task Force?
  • A. By implementing a strict financial reward system for teams that completed their tasks the fastest.
  • B. By starting an exchange program where members spent at least six months embedded in a different division.
  • C. By reducing the overall size of the organization so everyone could easily memorize each other's names.
  • D. By firing the leaders of underperforming teams and replacing them with corporate efficiency consultants.
Question 6 of 7
What is a crucial prerequisite before an organization can safely implement 'empowered execution' (allowing teams to make autonomous decisions)?
  • A. The organization must first establish a strong structure of shared consciousness and a free flow of information.
  • B. The organization must eliminate all management positions to ensure true equality.
  • C. The teams must prove they can increase their daily efficiency metrics for three consecutive quarters.
  • D. The leader must personally approve every major strategic shift the teams propose.
Question 7 of 7
In a 'team of teams' model, how does the role of a leader change compared to to traditional hierarchical models?
  • A. The leader becomes a 'puppet master' who secretly guides the teams' daily operations from behind the scenes.
  • B. The leader takes on more day-to-day operational tasks so the teams can focus purely on long-term strategy.
  • C. The leader shifts from barking orders to acting like a 'gardener' who tends to the organization's culture and facilitates communication.
  • D. The leader steps down completely, as a true team of teams requires no central leadership figure whatsoever.

Team of Teams — Full Chapter Overview

Team of Teams Summary & Overview

Team of Teams (2015) lays out the many ways that even large organizations can benefit from the agility and savvy of small teams. By building a team of teams, companies can better manage the complex, interconnected issues that often mean life or death for a company.

Who Should Listen to Team of Teams?

  • Anyone in charge of organizing groups of people
  • Ambitious entrepreneurs
  • Anyone interested in working in a team

About the Author: General Stanley McChrystal with Tantum Collins, David Silverman and Chris Fussel

General Stanley McChrystal served at the US Army for 34 years before retiring as a four-star general.

David Silverman and Chris Fussell are former US Navy SEAL officers and current senior executives at CrossLead.

Tantum Collins studies international relations as a Marshall Scholar at Cambridge University.

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