The Human Factor Episode 20: The Dynamics of Teams with Paul Gustard

Throughout our careers, many of us will fondly recall successful teams we were a part of with a smile and a glint in our eyes. We will reminisce about the bonds and connections made and the mutual success achieved. There will have been something about the team which made it special – the key question – what was it? What specifically made that team successful and a pleasure to be part of. On the flip side – we can all think back to teams we didn’t enjoy being a part of and the variety of reasons that determined that experience. We have concluded through this series that the psychology behind us as people is crucial when we think about the design of work and teams – we need certain things to happen to enable us to be successful. For the majority of people, they want to be successful, they want to grow, be a part of something – but the dynamics of a team can get in the way. The culture of it, the different roles, how is accountability shared, where does the decision-making lie, what if people don’t get on – this is the reality of a dynamic team and it doesn’t happen by accident. Today we will explore this topic in detail with someone who has been a member of many successful teams and is now heavily involved in the curation, growth and development of a team in the elite sporting arena of Rugby Union.