In today’s workplace, teams represent the instrument of enacting change. Yet anyone who’s served on a team realizes that team dynamics are key to maintaining a healthy atmosphere to make those contributions. Many books suggest ways to improve teams, but relatively few of them are based on critical studies to discern if their ideas actually work.
Ron Friedman’s book, in contrast, begins as a study. He identifies top-performing teams in terms of output and nicknames them “superteams.” Then he compares them with other teams that don’t reach that level. He asks them the same questions in the survey about what social traits make their team tick. This book analyzes the results of this evidence-based investigation.
Many of the results are not entirely surprising in my experience, but they do surprise at points. Overall, superteams get more work done that betters each other. They find meaningful work that improve the group over time. Extrinsic rewards are not the key to team performance but rather intrinsic responsibility to each other. The superteams work for each other as much as they work for the manager.
To keep from being a mere academic analysis, Friedman investigates these traits with stories from many industries to illustrate his insights. Guns and Roses, writers of top TV show, Watson and Crick in research, and basketball teams all contribute inspirational success stories filling these pages. The combination makes for an eminently readable book.
The biggest takeaway for me is the courage to speak the truth with each other. It’s easy to worry about offending people’s sensibilities too much instead of creating a high-trust environment where honesty reigns. Trust enables teams to work together without fearing little missteps. That trust is garnered by a common purpose and a common direction towards a common meaningful purpose.
Overall, I love the evidence-based approach this book offers. It sifts through the many hypotheses in the literature to identify the key insights that actually work. I wish more books would take this studied approach. If you’re looking for a book on teamwork filled with ideas tested to work, Friedman’s Superteams is for you.
Superteams: The Science and Secrets of High-Performing Teams
By Ron Friedman
Copyright (c) 2026
Will be released on June 2, 2026
Simon & Schuster
ASIN B0DYYX25MB
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Management, Leadership
www.amazon.com