Why Leadership Teams Fail: And what to do about it

In pursuit of strong performance, CEOs often overlook a critical factor in organizational success: the health of their leadership team. That’s a big problem, because a dysfunctional team can be a serious drag on strategy execution. To learn more about the problems that affect leadership teams, the authors interviewed more than 100 CEOs and senior executives in a multiyear research program. They identified three main patterns of dysfunction: the shark tank, characterized by infighting and political maneuvering; the petting zoo, characterized by conflict avoidance and an overemphasis on collaboration; and the mediocracy, characterized by complacency, a lack of competence, and an unhealthy focus on past success. This article helps leadership teams diagnose their dynamic and find ways to improve it.