Team members adopt a win-lose mindset and exert their power over each other, not with each other. Team members compete for voice, value and vanity and focus their energy and attention on what they can control and influence – the tactical and day-to-day operational issues within their area of responsibility. Floundering teams operate at less than the sum of their parts for most of the time.

Team members more often show-up with a win-win mindset and place most value in maintaining stability and consensus. They typically avoid conflict fearing destabilising relationships. These teams feel cohesive and typically regarded as a ‘safe set of hands’ and uphold the status quo. They operate at the sum of their parts, rarely more than the sum.

Team members share a ‘win for all’ mindset, both together and apart. As a collaborative team they operate from a unifying purpose, commit to adopting a common approach to how they engage and, above all, hold themselves and each other accountable to collective performance goals. They value difference and make it safe to challenge each other’s thinking. They operate more often at more than the sum of their parts and flourish.