The Science of Teams
The Manhattan Project assembled one of the greatest teams in history. What can you learn from these geniuses?
Today is August 13th.
On this day, eighty-one years ago, US Army Major General Eugene Reynolds and Colonel James Marshall officially kicked off the Manhattan Project — a quest to create the atomic bomb.
It just so happens that this week two events collided that are related to this for me.
First, I saw the magnificent film, “Oppenheimer.”
Second, I submitted my final paper to ACT/Brown to earn my Team Coaching certification.
It’s this Team bit which has been on my brain as of late.
And while Christopher Nolan’s film focuses most acutely on J Robert Oppenheimer’s journey, I was struck by all of the team dynamics of the story.
As I began reflecting on the Manhattan Project, much of my recent school work came to life. In particular, a concept called, The 6 Conditions of a Team.
The “6 Conditions” is a way of thinking about leadership based on the research of the brilliant Ruth Wageman and her team. (More on this in her excellent book here.)
The 6 Conditions theory blows up the notion of the lone heroic CEO who makes decisions based on genius and gut.
And while there is no doubt that Oppenheimer himself was quite the lone genius and did make some of his calls via his prodigious intellect, instinct and intuition, it took a team, a village (literally, all of Los Alamos, New Mexico) and a 130,000 cross-country supply chain network to get the “gadget” off the ground.
Now, the 6 Conditions can be broken up into two types of conditions:
First, three “essentials.”
Is it a real team?
Do they have a compelling purpose?
Are they the right people to achieve the mission?
The second three conditions are the “enablers.”
As in, a solid team structure.
A supportive organization.
Competent team coaching.
The Manhattan Project meets all six. Especially the “essentials” number 2, the compelling purpose: create a weapon so effective it can put an end to World War II.
Of course, there’s the looming ethical shadow that this weapon could also destroy humanity and the planet as we know it which makes this purpose fraught with moral complexity. But that is a discussion for another time.
Let’s get back to the team. Specifically, yours.
Are you a member of team that’s operating under these 6 conditions?
Or are you about to form a team, and if so, which of these six have you considered?
Teams can make the impossible, possible. But like anything with incredible impact — there’s a balance of art and science to it.