How team narratives shape team behaviour

Our understanding of behaviour in teams has been informed significantly by research into family dynamics. While teams are not families (though a family can act like a team), they have similar interactions, shared perspectives and allegiances. Among the most important of these are shared narratives. Studies carried out by Marshall Duke at Emory University found (more…)

Team coaching in pairs: Research from CCMI

The aim of this research was to throw light on an area of coaching that has not been the subject of any significant investigation before. All the major authorities on team coaching recommend that, unless a team is very small, two coaches should support each other. Among the reasons: one can facilitate while the other...

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Getting to the roots of diversity and inclusion

Over the decades, I have developed dozens of models and frameworks. One I am especially proud of is also one of the least well known – the diversity awareness ladder. Created in the early 1990s, it was an attempt to understand the relationship between our internal, silent conversations when we encounter someone different and the spoken or written conversations we have with or about them. The more instinctive and lacking in reflection/ self-awareness that the internal conversation is, the more guarded and politically over-correct the external conversation we will be.

What did you learn about yourself this week?

Building the habit of reflection isn’t easy. Yet, some questions can give a much-needed prompt. Ask someone what they earned this week and they can usually remember something. Yet ask what they learned about themselves requires a much deeper level of introspection.

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What do executives think are the benefits of team coaching?

Manfred Kets de Vries, at INSEAD, the French business school, is a veteran of team coaching and an authority on the psychology of both coaching and group dynamics. His latest book, The Path to Individual and Organizational Transformation (Palgrave, 2025) contains many nuggets, but I was particularly struck by a list of 25 key benefits that executive teams perceive from team coaching. These range from identifying hidden conflict to clarifying roles and deeper understanding of team challenges, to aligning team norms with an accountability structure. It’s a valuable checklist to apply when engaging with a team, to answer the question: “What would you like team coaching to do for you as a team?”

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The dangers of relying on an AI to write an article

AIs like Gemini or ChatGPT can be very helpful in speeding up research. I’ve always been careful to check out any references with another source, such as Google Scholar or Research Gate and where possible go beyond the abstract to evaluate the whole paper. Most of the time, I find that the work is genuine and that I can extract what I need from the article text. But not all the time.

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The potential matrix

In order to take up a challenge, we need agency (am I able to do this or make it happen) and will (do I want to do this or make it happen?) 

The potential matrix is a simple way to illustrate any dilemma we may have.

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How to make new habits stick

“Stacking” is a term that refers to linking a habit you want to create with one that you already have. For example, if brushing your teeth is a well-established routine, then doing a stretch exercise afterwards becomes an extension of that routine. Washing the toothbrush under a tap becomes a reminder or trigger to stretch.

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A simple approach to ethical dilemmas

The Defiance Compass poses three powerful questions, developed by organisational psychologist Dr. Sunita Sah, to help people determine how to act in accordance with their core values and resist pressure from others to conform.

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