--- title: 6 Secrets of Top Performing Work Teams description: Don’t just throw the best people together. How members get along is far more important than their capacities as individuals. What makes for smart teams?... canonical: https://time.com/3632289/secrets-top-performing-work-teams/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-13T05:01:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:04:59.299Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 6 Secrets of Top Performing Work Teams og:description: Don’t just throw the best people together. How members get along is far more important than their capacities as individuals. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 13, 2014 5:01 AM UTC  Hands holding a large light bulb Hands holding a large light bulb Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 13, 2014 5:01 AM UTC Don’t just throw the best people together. How members get along is far more important than their capacities as individuals. What makes for smart teams? It’s not average IQ. It’s social skills. From [MIT](http://sloanreview.mit.edu/improvisations/2010/10/04/what-makes-teams-smart/): --- > “” --- What’s the best predictor of team success? How the team members feel about one another. Via [The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307591549/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- How well do they need to get along? Remember the 5 to 1 ratio. From [The Ape in the Corner Office: How to Make Friends, Win Fights and Work Smarter by Understanding Human Nature](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400052203/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Do people touch each other more if they like each other or does touching actually increase performance? Can’t be sure but we do know one thing: _“The teams that touched the most cooperated the most, and won the most.”_ Via [Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307378217/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- For creativity, mix it up a bit. The most creative teams are a mix of old friends and new blood. Via [Imagine: How Creativity Works](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847677878/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1847677878&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Teams with men and women [performed better](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/12/how-does-gender-affect-teamwork-at-the-office/): --- > “” --- A team _is_ only as strong as its weakest link. Team trust is not determined by an average of the members, it’s at the level of the [least trusted member](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/03/is-a-team-only-as-strong-as-its-weakest-link/): --- > “” --- What inspires team morale? [Great stories](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/07/how-do-you-improve-team-morale/): --- > “” --- **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-great-team/)**_._** **Join over 145,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [6 Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/most-productive-people/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3632289/secrets-top-performing-work-teams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3632289/secrets-top-performing-work-teams/"},"headline":"6 Secrets of Top Performing Work Teams","datePublished":"2014-12-13T05:01:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:04:59.299Z","description":"Don’t just throw the best people together. How members get along is far more important than their capacities as individuals. 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