Alex (“Sandy”) Pentland has much of great value to say about how to organize and then lead great teams, first in an article, “The New Science of Building Great Teams,” published in Harvard Business Review and then in a book, Social Physics: How Good Ideas Spread-The Lessons from a New Science.

What makes a few teams great?

If there is a “secret sauce,” Pentland suggests, it is in what they do and how they do it together, in collaboration. For example:

o They communicate frequently: On average, “a dozen communication exchanges per working hour seems to be optimal for team performance.”

o Team members talk and listen in equal measure: Conversation is distributed equally between and among members. “Less effective groups have teams within teams. Their members talk or listen but not both.”

o They communicate informally: The best teams use at least half their time outside of the formal meetings or during breaks. “The best predictors of productivity are a team members’ energy and engagement” when not in a formal, structured situation.

o They look for ideas and information outside the group: “The best teams use at least half their time communicating (albeit intermittently) with outside sources, especially with knowledge and skills that are superior to what team members possess.” Both internal and external communication, collaboration, and collaboration are continuous…and transparent insofar as everyone involved is concerned.

o They adjust their patterns of communication: The most successful teams “learn to communicate and communicate to learn.” Patterns of communication are flexible and adaptable. There is constant experimentation to determine what works, what doesn’t, and especially, why.

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Alex (“Sandy”) Pentland is Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and Sciences and Director, Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program, at MIT Sloan Management School. To learn more about him and his exciting work, please click here.

Those who share my high regard for Pentland’s work are urged to check out these resources:

Team Genius: The New Science of High-Performing Organizations
Rich Karlgaard and Michael Malone

How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed
Ray Kurzweil

Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman

Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration
Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman