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EPISODE · Jun 17, 2026 · 51 MIN

'Superteams' explores how to reduce burnout and increase team performance

from Connections Podcast · host WXXI News

What do the best teams do differently? It's a question that's at the heart of a new book by social psychologist Ron Friedman. In "Superteams," Friedman explains what the research says about the most successful teams. Spoiler alert: those teams aren't the ones that collaborate the most, get along best, or have fancy office perks. The best teams, as Friedman writes, balance collaboration with focused individual work, phase out useless meetings, and reduce burnout — all while increasing productivity. Friedman joins us for the hour to discuss what we can learn from the "Succession" writers' room, ABBA's recording studio, and the labs of Nobel Prize-winning scientists. In studio:Ron Friedman, Ph.D., author of "Superteams: The Science and Secrets of High-Performing Teams"---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 17, 2026

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