How 'extreme teams' make extraordinary strides

By Yun Suh-young

Cover of "Extreme Teams" published in Korean / Courtesy of The Quest

Over the past year, I have written a series at The Korea Times about "innovative work cultures" of both Korean and foreign companies in Korea, in an effort to discover how "innovative" companies work, and work differently from others. A common thread that I discovered was that they know how to work as a team, and know how to build a great team.

A year later, I discovered a book which exactly dealt with the same topic with just a different set of examples consisting mostly of large, global brands that we've all heard of and know of. Flipping through the pages, I realized how similar innovative and successful companies were when it came to the way they work -- whether they are small or large, local or foreign. The definition of success is not a measurement of their revenue or growth -- yes, that too -- but, more importantly, their ability to run a great team that collectively moves forward as a tightly-knit unit who are fond of each other as if they are family.

The importance of building and leading a great team to lead a company to success is, needless to say, universal.

"Extreme Teams: Why Pixar, Netflix, AirBnB, and Other Cutting-Edge Companies Succeed Where Most Fail" by Robert Bruce Shaw is a great book in the sense that it touches upon the topic of innovation and work culture in a way no other book has. It truly is a back scratcher in that sense. It recognizes the importance of work culture as a stepping stone to, or the foundation of, innovation.

The topic of innovation had, until now, been dealt with mainly through welfare, interior and facilities, a set of rules or systems, and products which are basically all material aspects of a company. Work culture, however, is something that is intangible but something so crucial to the foundation and existence of a company and something that plays a much larger role than any of the previously mentioned factors in driving a company's success. But it is often overlooked because people could care less to look beyond or below the surface.

In that sense, "Extreme Teams" is an excellent guide to any leader attempting to make changes within their company culture. It introduces seven innovative and successful companies -- Pixar, Netflix, Airbnb, Whole Foods, Zappos, Patagonia and Alibaba -- that have extraordinary teams that make them successful.

In these teams, the author discovers five key characteristics that are common throughout. They foster a shared obsession, value fit over capabilities, focus more than less, push harder and yet push softer, and take comfort in discomfort. What are the results? They end up with the best results and best relationships. The seven chapters in this book touch upon each of these topics, in addition to the introduction and conclusion of Results and Relationships and Teams at the Extremes.

The author, however, warns readers in mimicking the examples introduced in the book without considering the many different conditions within a work environment. Each company is different, so simply taking the success of a case and applying it to your own company will not work. It requires a high level of sensitivity -- knowing how your company differs and what the requirements, weaknesses, and strengths of your company are to adopt changes accordingly.

What is fascinating to read in this book is the focus on psychological and sociological aspects of work culture that have been dealt with less in other books on business management. The author has a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from Yale University and is an expert consultant on the topic. He has previously authored books "Trust in the Balance" and "Leadership Blindspots," and wrote dissertations on topics such as "Developing Peripheral Vision," "Organizational Bystanders," and "Changing Culture."

"Extreme Teams" was published in English in March last year and the translated version in Korean was published on March 20 this year by The Quest.