Teaming

Amy Edmondson clarifies and develops three principles to help teams work and learn continuously together, namely, speak up, ask questions and share ideas. This approach requires managers to instill a climate of trust and proactively set the example. A large portion of the book is devoted to the importance of mistakes in the learning and innovation process. Amy Edmondson also underlines the need to stop thinking of teams as static, isolated entities, but instead to integrate and reinforce their interactions with other teams. This mindset is designed to eliminate the visible and invisible dividing lines that obstruct the sharing of knowledge, and companies can support its development by building a common vision, fostering a shared sense of curiosity and identifying relevant interfaces.

Although the book remains largely theoretical, the author proposes structured steps illustrated with concrete suggestions.