Diversity and Inclusion

7 Effective Ways to Lead Teams

Managers of teams require communications skills, organizational capabilities, and a knack for judging how people might work together. Research from Harvard Business School investigates the challenges of team leadership.

Source: rawpixel

Very few businesses today can exist today without effective team work. So it's surprising that while many managers are regularly coached on how to lead individuals, training in team leadership is much more rare.

Research by Harvard Business School professors might help. The following articles from our archive address several topics: why "teaming" is so important; the types of managers who make the best team leaders; temporary teams versus standing teams; what we can learn from sports teams; what leadership looks like when a team literally faces life or death, and creating a team to build a city of the future.

The Importance of Teaming

Fast-moving work environments need people who know how to team on the fly.

Pulpit Bullies: Why Dominating Leaders Kill Teams

A high-powered boss can lead a team into poor performance.

Build 'Scaffolds' to Improve Performance of Temporary Teams

Lightweight organizational structure improves performance of ad hoc teams.

It’s Not Nagging: Why Persistent, Redundant Communication Works

Managers who inundate their teams with the same messages, over and over, via multiple media, need not feel bad about their persistence.

Alex Ferguson's Lessons on Leading

Sir Alex Ferguson. perhaps the most successful professional sports coach of all time,discusses why building a team is less important than building a foundation.

Leading a Team to the Top of Mount Everest

How students learn about team communication and decision making by making a simulated climb up Mount Everest.

‘Big Teaming,’ Audacious Innovation, and the Uncompleted Dream of a Smart City

How do you organize a project that spans professions, industries, and even nations?

Related Research Papers**Research Paper: Preparing the Self for Team Entry—How Relational Affirmation Improves Team Performance**

Why are teams often unable to capitalize on their collective potential?

Research Paper: Diversity and Team Performance in a Kenyan Organization

Does team diversity lead to better results?

What do you think?

What have you learned about leading teams? Add your insights to this story below.

Latest from HBS faculty experts

Expertly curated insights, precisely tailored to address the challenges you are tackling today.

Strategy and Innovation

Social Responsibility

Diversity and Inclusion