The quality of our team   determines the quality of our work ‍

ORCS teams feature orderly communication, relational processing, concordant decision-making, and spontaneous execution. They are structured in gathering information, with certain individuals interpreting data for the group, and engage the whole group in decision-making, ensuring broad-based buy-in and the ability to quickly change direction. Examples include teams in dynamic, interdisciplinary fields like product development in tech companies or integrated project teams in construction

These teams excel in environments where responsibilities and knowledge domains vary widely. They are adept at attracting and integrating new members, and excel in situations requiring constant incorporation of input from various stakeholders, adapting to new paths forward.

ORCS teams can face challenges due to reliance on specific individuals for context, hindering autonomous decision-making. Inconsistently applied group involvement in planning can lead to a perception of perpetual planning without sufficient follow-through, and key individuals may become bottlenecks in structured information flow.

Improvement can be achieved by encouraging the whole team to articulate the rationale behind critical decisions for shared understanding, and by time-bounding deliberations to balance thorough planning with efficient action.

ORAD teams are marked by orderly communication, relational processing, authoritative decision-making, and deliberate execution. They are structured in gathering and interpreting information, with key individuals influencing the team's direction and execution through detailed plans. Teams in large corporations with structured hierarchies and complex projects, such as corporate strategy teams or high-level project management teams, often exhibit ORAD characteristics.

These teams excel in complicated, extended efforts requiring organized information and thorough planning. They have standout individuals who can significantly impact the team's trajectory, and they perform well in siloed environments with concentrated points of connectivity.

ORAD teams may experience challenges due to a dependence on specific individuals for guidance, creating a potential bottleneck. Detailed processes for information flow and planning can lead to excessive overhead, hindering progress and slowing the translation of insights into action.

To enhance their performance, ORAD teams should focus on developing future leaders by creating formal opportunities for various team members to lead important decisions. They should also ensure broad-based buy-in for major decisions by proactively soliciting input from the entire team.

ORCD teams are organized in their approach to information gathering, with specific individuals interpreting data for the group. They prioritize collaboration and alignment in planning and execution, using orderly communication, relational processing, concordant decision-making, and deliberate execution. Examples include teams in large-scale project management, such as those in government projects, and teams in complex research and development fields

These teams excel in complex, extended efforts requiring organized information and thorough planning. They produce high-quality, error-free work, especially in situations with high risks associated with errors. They stand out in tackling difficult, complex, and time-consuming problems and thrive in diverse knowledge domains and stakeholder inputs.

ORCD teams may face delays in translating information into action due to their instinct to include all members in analysis and planning. A reliance on specific individuals for context can hinder autonomous decision-making, and detailed processes may create excessive overhead.

Improvement can be achieved by encouraging the whole team to articulate the rationale behind critical decisions for shared understanding and time-bounding planning processes to avoid excessive iteration and faster action.

OLCS teams, labeled "The Flexible Deliberators," are known for their orderly communication, logical processing, concordant decision-making, and spontaneous execution. They excel in agility, incorporating new information swiftly, and engaging the entire group in decision-making to ensure wide buy-in. Teams in consultancy and strategic planning often exhibit OLCS characteristics, as they need to incorporate diverse inputs and adapt to new information swiftly. Similarly, academic research teams and agile software development teams may also operate as OLCS, given their need for collaborative decision-making and flexibility in plan execution.

These teams are adept at quickly integrating new team members, resilient to changes in team composition and leadership, and excel in situations requiring the incorporation of diverse stakeholder inputs.

They might face challenges with perpetual planning due to inconsistent application of group involvement, leading to a lack of follow-through. A propensity for extensive group debate can result in analysis paralysis, and decision-making can stall when information is scarce or contradictory.

OLCS teams can enhance their performance by pressure-testing decision-making from varied perspectives to avoid groupthink, and by time-bounding deliberations to balance thorough planning with efficient action.

ORAS teams are structured in gathering information with key individuals interpreting data. They are quick to execute decisions with conviction, even if it means changing direction. Characteristics include orderly communication, relational processing, authoritative decision-making, and spontaneous execution. Examples include dynamic project teams in tech startups, where rapid adaptation is key, and emergency response teams, where quick, decisive action is crucial. Sales teams in fast-moving industries also reflect ORAS characteristics, with their focus on agility and individual leadership.

These teams excel in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments, producing significant results over short periods. They are adaptable and empower standout individuals to meaningfully impact the team's trajectory.

The speed of decision-making can overlook long-term impacts, and frequent changes in direction can cause team fatigue. A reliance on specific individuals for leadership may lead to a lack of broad-based alignment on team direction.

ORAS teams can improve by investing in developing future leaders through formal opportunities for various team members to lead important decisions. Encouraging team members to build external relationships can also foster broader communication and alignment.

OLAD teams are highly structured and analytical in their information gathering and analysis. Leadership sets clear directions and leverages detailed plans for predictable execution. OLADs value documentation, competence, decisiveness, and preparation. Examples include corporate strategy teams, where structured analysis and decisive leadership are key, and financial analysis teams in banking, where quick and efficient information flow and decision-making are crucial.

OLAD teams excel in complicated efforts requiring organized information and thorough planning, often interfacing seamlessly with other groups.

However, the regimented problem-solving and planning that OLAD teams use can lead to overlooking creative solutions. Their focus on rationality and top-down leadership can leave sensitive, relationship-oriented individuals feeling undervalued.

OLAD team leaders should articulate their decision-making processes to foster autonomous team empowerment, and solicit broad-based input for major decisions to improve inclusivity.

OLAS teams are characterized by orderly communication, logical processing, authoritative decision-making, and spontaneous execution. They are quick in translating new information into action, with well-defined paths for information sharing and consistent analytical frameworks. Examples include newsrooms, stock traders, air traffic control, and emergency response teams.

These teams typically excel in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments. They are capable of producing outstanding results in concentrated bursts of effort and show excellence in structured research and development, especially when applying a scientific method of inquiry.

OLAS teams tend to struggle with creative, greenfield projects where planning and coordination is critical. Their eagerness to take action can lead to rushed decision-making, especially in an ambiguous environment with limited external data.

Improvements can be made by asking team leaders to articulate their decision-making processes, enabling all team members to apply this logic autonomously in the future. Encouraging team members to build relationships beyond the team can also help in creating organic channels for external sharing of outputs and updates.

IRAD teams like to get things done efficiently, but they often have to do so in an ambiguous environment with limited external data. As a result, they look to decisive leaders — who tend to rely on intuition — to set the direction. Examples include: chefs in a restaurant, a film production crew, or an architecture firm, where solutions are often open-ended and the team follows the creative intuition of their head chef, director, or lead architect.

IRAD teams are well suited for roles that require both creative problem-solving and efficient execution. Once a course is set, the IRAD team forms a plan and follows it diligently.

IRAD teams struggle when roles and responsibilities are unclear, especially when it relates to leadership and decision-making. They also struggle when their unstructured communication style conflicts with their preference for structured execution, like when they need to react quickly to changing circumstances.

OLCD teams excel in structured, thorough analysis and planning. They use consistent mechanisms for evaluating information collaboratively, defining detailed plans before execution. OLCDs value organization, rationality, teamwork, and execution. Examples include project management teams in engineering firms and quality assurance teams in manufacturing settings.

These teams seamlessly contribute to complex efforts, producing high-quality, error-free work. They excel in environments where the cost of errors is high, and are resilient to changes in team composition.

OLCD teams may face delays in action due to inclusive analysis and detailed planning. Regimented problem-solving approaches might overlook creative solutions, and their detailed processes can sometimes hinder progress.

OLCD teams should pressure-test decision-making from different perspectives to avoid groupthink and time-bound planning processes to balance thorough planning with efficient action.

Conversation is at the heart of the IRCS team. They talk to each other about everything — to share what's going on, work through decisions, and check in on tasks. They're collegial and collaborative, and excel at open-ended, exploratory projects. Examples of IRCS teams include academic research and exploratory software development teams. Many sports teams also operate as IRCSs during games, when strong communication, trust, and adaptability are critical.

IRCS teams excel in environments where responsibilities and knowledge vary widely, and they perform well in fast-growing, dynamic organizations.

IRCS teams struggle with rigid goals and deadlines. They tend to prioritize deliberation over moving fast, and value consensus over decisiveness. This is a good fit for exploratory projects where there is no right answer, but doesn't work as well when fast-paced, action-oriented execution is needed.

IRCS teams should encourage the entire team to articulate the rationale behind critical decisions tobuild a shared understanding. And time-bounding deliberations helps in developing effective plans.

IRCD teams are recognized for their open-ended and flexible approach in gathering information. They rely on key individuals for interpretation and guidance, and prioritize collaboration and alignment in defining and executing detailed plans. Examples include interdisciplinary teams conducting medical research, preparing for space exploration, or developing a company's long term strategic plan.

IRCD teams excel in situations where errors can be particularly damaging, producing high-quality, error-free work. They are effective in tackling complex and time-consuming problems and perform well in dynamic organizations, often serving as 'super-connectors'.

These teams may face delays in translating information into action due to their inclusive approach to analysis and planning. There is a risk of path dependence and a reduction in speed and predictability of decision-making due to reliance on specific individuals.

To improve, IRCD teams should ensure their decisions have a shared rationale, and time-bound planning processes to prevent excessive iteration and promote prompt action.

The IRAS team is known for its open-ended, flexible information gathering approach. These teams rely on key individuals for interpretation and guidance, looking to leadership to define objectives and adjust plans dynamically based on new information. IRASs value conversation, empathy, decisiveness, and agility.

These teams excel in producing outstanding results over concentrated bursts of effort. Standout individuals thrive under empowering leadership, which allows them to significantly impact the team's direction, especially in fast-growing, dynamic organizations.

The limited structure in information flow and planning can cause difficulties in managing external expectations and collaborating with other teams. Frequent changes in leadership direction can lead to team fatigue, and reliance on specific individuals may hinder broad-based team alignment.

To improve, IRAS team should invest in developing future leaders within the group and encourage team members to build external relationships. This creates organic channels for sharing outputs and updates, enhancing overall team effectiveness and alignment.

The ILCD team is characterized by open-ended and flexible information gathering, rigorous logical analysis for converting information into insights, and a collaborative approach for defining and executing plans. ILCDs value conversation, reasoning, collaboration, and preparation.

ILCD teams excel in environments where errors can be costly, producing high-quality, error-free work. They are effective in tackling difficult, complex, and time-consuming problems, able to draw valuable insights from rapidly changing information and quickly learn new domains.

The inclusive nature of the ILCD team's analysis and planning can sometimes slow down decision-making and lead to path dependence. Regimented problem-solving approaches might overlook creative solutions, and the tendency for extensive group debate can result in analysis paralysis.

ILCD teams should pressure-test their decision-making from various perspectives to prevent groupthink. It also recommends time-bounding planning processes to balance thorough planning with prompt action.

ILAD teams are characterized by organic information flow within the team, with leadership applying consistent analytical frameworks to translate insights into action. These teams develop detailed plans for consistent results, aligning with set expectations. ILADs value conversation, analysis, decisiveness, and preparation.

ILAD teams are adept at extracting valuable insights from rapidly changing information, quickly learning new domains, and excelling in siloed environments with specific connectivity points to the broader organization.

An ILAD team may face issues take too long to revise plans with new information, leading to path dependence. Regimented problem-solving approaches may overlook more creative solutions, and a focus on rationality and top-down leadership might undervalue sensitive, relationship-oriented individuals.

To improve, ILAD team leaders should articulate their decision-making processes for team-wide understanding and autonomy. Additionally, they should seek broad-based buy-in for major decisions by proactively soliciting input from all team members and integrating this feedback.

The ILAS team specializes in open-ended and flexible information gathering, followed by rigorous, logically grounded analysis. The team relies on leadership to define objectives and adjust plans dynamically based on new information. ILASs value conversation, reasoning, leadership and flexibility.

ILAS teams are capable of producing outstanding results during concentrated bursts of effort. They excel at drawing new insights from rapidly changing information and can quickly learn and incorporate new domains and knowledge bases.

An ILAS team may struggle with limited structure in information flow and planning, which can make it challenging to manage expectations and collaborate with other teams. The tendency for frequent changes in leadership direction can cause team fatigue, and the focus on rationality and top-down leadership might leave relationship-motivated individuals feeling undervalued.

ILAS team leaders should articulate their decision-making processes to empower team members to autonomously apply this logic. Team members should also foster external relationships to share outputs and updates organically with other teams and stakeholders.

ILCS teams are characterized by their open-ended, flexible approach to information gathering and applying rigorous, logically grounded analysis to convert information into insights. They focus on collaboration and alignment in goal setting and remain adaptable in adjusting plans based on new information. ILCSs value conversation, analysis, collaboration, and responsiveness.

ILCS teams excel in drawing new insights from fast-changing information sets, rapidly learning new domains, and incorporating diverse stakeholder inputs into evolving strategies and paths forward.

These teams may struggle with limited structure in information flow and planning, which can impact managing external expectations and collaboration with other teams. Their group-oriented approach can sometimes lead to inconsistent application of plans and a perception of constant planning without sufficient follow-through.

To improve, ILCS teams should pressure-test their decision-making from various perspectives to avoid groupthink. It also recommends time-bounding deliberations to balance thorough planning with efficient action, ensuring plans are developed and executed effectively.