Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
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- Create Date：2021-11-26 09:53:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Stanley McChrystal
- ISBN：0241250838
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Summary
As commander of Joint Special Operations Command （JSOC）， General Stanley McChrystal discarded a century of management wisdom and pivoted from a pursuit of mechanical efficiency to organic adaptability。
In this book， he shows how any organization can make the same transition to act like a team of teams - where small groups combine the freedom to experiment with a relentless drive to share their experience。
Drawing on a wealth of evidence from his military career and sources as diverse as hospital emergency rooms and NASA's space program， McChrystal frames the existential challenge facing today's organizations， and presents a compelling， effective solution。
In this book， he shows how any organization can make the same transition to act like a team of teams - where small groups combine the freedom to experiment with a relentless drive to share their experience。
Drawing on a wealth of evidence from his military career and sources as diverse as hospital emergency rooms and NASA's space program， McChrystal frames the existential challenge facing today's organizations， and presents a compelling， effective solution。
Reviews
Jreader
，
I bought the book because our boss wants us to read it and he is a colonel in the reserves。 So， being a book nerd and somewhat of a suck up， this is how I spent Thanksgiving。It got 5 stars because it is good。 （I usually just stop reading something if it isn't worth it。） We were using these principles in my corporate life almost 20 years ago， which is probably a huge reason why the company made more money than most 3rd world countries。 Now I am a proud federal employee。 I took pages of notes and I bought the book because our boss wants us to read it and he is a colonel in the reserves。 So， being a book nerd and somewhat of a suck up， this is how I spent Thanksgiving。It got 5 stars because it is good。 （I usually just stop reading something if it isn't worth it。） We were using these principles in my corporate life almost 20 years ago， which is probably a huge reason why the company made more money than most 3rd world countries。 Now I am a proud federal employee。 I took pages of notes and highlighted and starred topics I can use daily in out team。 I bought the book for $15 from a thrift store through Amazon and it ended up to be in PRISTINE condition and signed by the author。 It is worth your time。 Thank you， sir， for your service and your efforts。 。。。more
Andrew Roosa
，
A great book on leadership but eerily similar to the author’s （equally great） “My Share of the Task”。
Alexandra
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I liked the weaving of the story with the directions。 But for me it was a bit long compared to what I took away from it。"There's likely a place in paradise for those who tried hard but what really matters is succeeding。 If that requires you to change then that's your mission。""Such absurdities reflect the truth that most organizations are more concerned with how best to control information than how best to share it。""But I had no interest in and we had no time for painting a rosy picture of what I liked the weaving of the story with the directions。 But for me it was a bit long compared to what I took away from it。"There's likely a place in paradise for those who tried hard but what really matters is succeeding。 If that requires you to change then that's your mission。""Such absurdities reflect the truth that most organizations are more concerned with how best to control information than how best to share it。""But I had no interest in and we had no time for painting a rosy picture of what was in reality a hellish scene。 Anyone who wanted to beat us at a game of bureaucratic politics would have all the ammunition they needed。 But that wasn't the fight we were focused on。""The Navy is the only service that uses the acronym UNODIR （unless otherwise directed）， by which a commanding officer informs the boss of a proposed course of action and only if the boss overrides it will it not be taken。 The subordinate is informing the boss， not asking permission。""'Thank you' became my most important phrase。 Interest and enthusiasm， my most powerful behaviors。 In a room with trusted advisors frustration or anger can be put into context and digested。 But [in a meeting] large enough。。。petulance or sarcasm could be disastrous。。。。demanded self discipline and I found it exhausting but it was an extraordinary opportunity to lead by example。 I adopted a practice I call thinking out loud in which I would summarize what I heard， describe how I processed the information and outline my first thoughts on what we should consider doing about it。 It allowed [everyone] to follow and correct where appropriate my logic trail and to understand how I was thinking。 After I did that， in a pointed effort to reinforce empowered execution， I would often ask the subordinate to imagine what action might be appropriate and tell me what he or she planned to do。Thinking out loud can be a frightening topic for a senior leader。 Ignorance on a subject is quickly obvious and efforts to fake expertise are embarrassingly ineffective。 I found however that asking seemingly stupid questions or admitting openly 'I don't know' was accepted， even appreciated。 Asking for opinions and advice showed respect。 The overall messaged reinforced。。。 was that *we* have a problem that only *we* can understand and solve。""Creating and leading a truly adaptive organization requires building， leading， and maintaining a culture that is flexible but also durable。 The primary responsibility of the new leader is to maintain a holistic big picture view， avoiding a reductionist approach no matter how tempting micromanaging may be。" 。。。more
Andrew
，
It is always hard to properly gauge a contemporary era。 We tend not to properly judge the historicity of events and miss the forest for the trees。 Still， it increasingly feels that we are living in a moment of significant social， technical， and cultural change。 Since the 1970s， the world has experienced successive revolutions from interconnected systems， the democratization of previously elite institutions， and the networking of all human knowledge。 Information can be operationalized faster than It is always hard to properly gauge a contemporary era。 We tend not to properly judge the historicity of events and miss the forest for the trees。 Still， it increasingly feels that we are living in a moment of significant social， technical， and cultural change。 Since the 1970s， the world has experienced successive revolutions from interconnected systems， the democratization of previously elite institutions， and the networking of all human knowledge。 Information can be operationalized faster than ever before and is accessible to more than ever before。 As the world changes， so too must our conceptions of what leadership looks like。 General McChrystal and his collaborators do a good job in this entertaining and helpful book in outlining one way to think about these transformations。 Drawing largely on his time managing the Iraq Task Force， McChrystal highlights the importance of building resilient， integrated， and networked teams。 Rather than the command and control hierarchy that functioned so well in the 20th-century economy of assembly lines， the modern world needs leadership structured around empowering teams to act quickly and in concert with a wide variety of partners。 The examples are broadly applicable， and the prescriptions are realistic and reasonable。 There is an unfortunate， but perhaps inevitable， reliance on business-book lingo， but the core message gets through: be willing to sacrifice some efficiency for resilient and deeply-networked teams。Read more at https://znovels。blogspot。com/2021/11/。。。 。。。more
Carter
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This is something I found rather engaging; much of it is drawn from experience， in the U。S。 Military。 However， perhaps， I am not knowledgeable enough to judge in this instance。
Mariusz Gorzoch
，
How to convert command-and-controll organisation into an agile organism which can adjust and transform to the needs of modern battle field？ Go for that book as it give a story how author manage to introduce this tranformation in his unit。 Great read supported by great story
Antoine Bordas
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Un parallèle clair et motivant entre les forces armées US en Irak et le management en entreprise。 Les exemples sont précis et passionnants， les modèles qui ressortent sont inspirants。 - la complexité de l’environnement nous impose une évolution de nos systèmes de décisions / management : particulièrement sur l’architecture des équipes et sur la culture - au 20eme siècle， nous avons développé des orgas disciplinées et stratifiées dans l’armée et dans l’entreprise （via le taylorisme）， qui visent l Un parallèle clair et motivant entre les forces armées US en Irak et le management en entreprise。 Les exemples sont précis et passionnants， les modèles qui ressortent sont inspirants。 - la complexité de l’environnement nous impose une évolution de nos systèmes de décisions / management : particulièrement sur l’architecture des équipes et sur la culture - au 20eme siècle， nous avons développé des orgas disciplinées et stratifiées dans l’armée et dans l’entreprise （via le taylorisme）， qui visent l’efficience du delivery - on est passé d’un monde compliqué à un monde complexe : le compliqué est prévisible， l’imprévisible n’est pas compatible avec un management basé sur la planification - pour manager / savoir réagir dans un environnement complexe， nous devons développer notre résilience - connecter les personnes de différentes équipes permet de résoudre des problèmes insolubles par le management。 - un framework MECE ne permet pas d’organiser efficacement des équipes。 Risque de créer un système « command » alors qu’on devrait tendre vers le modèle Team of teams - nécessite des créer une « shared consciousness »， et des décisions décentralisées « empowered exécution »- le leader est un « gardener » qui est eyes-on， Hands-off Exemples : - vol United 173 en 1978 qui s’écrase par manque de carburant alors que l’équipage a eu une heure pour répondre à la crise vs vol Huston - entraînement pour les SEALs - le buds : Basic Underwater Deolition/ Seal training。 Obligation de se mettre en binôme - F3EA frame dans l’armée : find， fix， finish， exploit， analyse。 Pour diminuer le lead time de ce processus besoin de synchro différentes équipes - mise en place du « o&i » en Irak - operations and intelligence brief - 6/7 jours， 9:00 am， une réunion d’info jusqu’à 2h avec plusieurs centaines de personnes pour partager les informations。 。。。more
James Campbell
，
Good business book， combined theory nicely with real-life examples for War against Terror。
Sean
，
Playing chess vs。 Tending a garden
Gunnar Ristroph
，
Pages and pages of empty drivel。The authors make and emphasize a distinction between “complex” and “complicated” that is not accepted in common， scientific or business language。 The distinction is so important that it’s in the subtitle of the book: “New Rules of Engagement For A Complex World。” Maybe they are piggy-backing on Rick Nason’s “It’s Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity in Business。” I predict that the distinction Nason and McChrystal draw between complex and complicated Pages and pages of empty drivel。The authors make and emphasize a distinction between “complex” and “complicated” that is not accepted in common， scientific or business language。 The distinction is so important that it’s in the subtitle of the book: “New Rules of Engagement For A Complex World。” Maybe they are piggy-backing on Rick Nason’s “It’s Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity in Business。” I predict that the distinction Nason and McChrystal draw between complex and complicated will not catch on in common or business language。 Scientific language already has a crisp and useful distinction between “chaotic” and “non-chaotic” that the authors try clumsily to connect to。 Better to just stick with the scientific term “chaotic” in its rigid meaning。 The authors give ecosystems and economies as examples of “complex” systems。 Of course， there are chaotic and non-chaotic examples within both。After belaboring this distinction， they offer a solution: The Team of Teams。 Sharing across groups within your organization。Less poorly explained science and more war stories， please。Team of Teams is a registered trademark of McChrystal Group， LLC。 。。。more
Scott Norris
，
This book is interesting and full of good example stories。 However I often wondered how the stories helped。 It was interesting how they transitioned effectively to a team of teams but it’s not super practical。 Not sure the path to applying this in our organization。
Nano
，
Recuenco
Michael Smith
，
This text is a book on history of management。 Both the positive and negative。 How it was great for it's time but like most things has outgrown it's usefulness and how others have developed new ideas that grew。 How it's effected both business and the military， stifled grow and reaction times due to stove piping， i。e。 needing the chain of command to take action（s） required at that moment。 The General talks about how in Iraq we actually learned from one of the terrorist that the U。S。 was hunting。 I This text is a book on history of management。 Both the positive and negative。 How it was great for it's time but like most things has outgrown it's usefulness and how others have developed new ideas that grew。 How it's effected both business and the military， stifled grow and reaction times due to stove piping， i。e。 needing the chain of command to take action（s） required at that moment。 The General talks about how in Iraq we actually learned from one of the terrorist that the U。S。 was hunting。 It talks about the fact that leaders have got to place trust into those below them to make the hard decisions。 He talks about how the lack of communication between commands and agencies hurt everyone and how they resolved this in real time to benefit everyone。 The steps taken there are also being seen in business。 Part of this is the current speed for which information is both presented and processed。 。。。more
Cade
，
This book has a number of interesting case studies and history notes， but ultimately， it is a marketing brochure for the author's management consulting firm where he tries to turn the prestige of his military career into a way of funding a cushy retirement。 It seems a lot like the way former presidents go on the lecture circuit。 I don't blame the author for trying it， and I don't mean to imply he doesn't believe the things he writes about or even that those things aren't valid。 I just don't thin This book has a number of interesting case studies and history notes， but ultimately， it is a marketing brochure for the author's management consulting firm where he tries to turn the prestige of his military career into a way of funding a cushy retirement。 It seems a lot like the way former presidents go on the lecture circuit。 I don't blame the author for trying it， and I don't mean to imply he doesn't believe the things he writes about or even that those things aren't valid。 I just don't think this book is particularly insightful or unique。 This book can be enjoyed for the examples included and especially for the memoiresque elements analyzing the author's experience leading Special Operations in Iraq。 However， to keep some perspective， I also suggest reading an Economist article I serendipitously found while reading this book: The Limits to the Lessons of Army Leadership 。。。more
Dorothy
，
A little bit of a slog， but also absorbing and interesting。 The world has changed， and leadership strategies need to evolve to keep up。
Kaspars Koo
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ok。 Not much new that hasn't been written before but mostly legit。 Read prob first 25%。 ok。 Not much new that hasn't been written before but mostly legit。 Read prob first 25%。 。。。more
Patricia Kahill
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My review is on my blog through this link http://patriciakahill。com/team-of-tea。。。 My review is on my blog through this link http://patriciakahill。com/team-of-tea。。。 。。。more
Serena
，
This book is great for anyone in corporate America frustrated by the traditional hierarchical command structure found in any office。 The concept of a Team of Teams （and why it works） is explained through the multiple lens of history， modern day civilian examples， and General McChrystal’s experience commanding the Task Force in Iraq during the 2000s。He explains the significance of Frederick Taylor from the late 19th century; the distinction between complicated and complex; doing the right thing v This book is great for anyone in corporate America frustrated by the traditional hierarchical command structure found in any office。 The concept of a Team of Teams （and why it works） is explained through the multiple lens of history， modern day civilian examples， and General McChrystal’s experience commanding the Task Force in Iraq during the 2000s。He explains the significance of Frederick Taylor from the late 19th century; the distinction between complicated and complex; doing the right thing v。 doing things right; building trust and common purpose across teams; and perhaps most significantly， the success that comes from shared consciousness and empowered execution。While you can find summaries on the internet， this book is well worth the read。 I found it valuable from the many real world stories that exemplified these concepts in practice， and how these might be applied to any particular workplace。One of the most significant points that stuck with me was in the closing chapter。 This book was published in 2015， over five years before the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol， which in turn occurred a few weeks before I read this。 General McChrystal points to Tocqueville’s reflections on the American experiment in 1835， where he pointed out that （translated into our current context） “a system requires shared consciousness before it can reap the benefits of empowered execution。” I’m mindful not just of the examples provided of how these principles can lead to success when implemented correctly， but also how they can fail us if not done right。 。。。more
Matthew
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Another woke， leftist， globalist general/admiral in our ranks
Teresa
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A lot of vivid examples。
Christine
，
Great concepts but easily could’ve been a long essay。 Some of the anecdotes were way out in left field making the reader wonder， “where are we going with this？” While always brought back to the point it didn’t offer the reinforcing fires intended and probably could’ve been left out。
William
，
I need to try this one again- it seems like I would like it more， but it was just really hard to get into。
Yannick Grenzinger
，
Storytelling ！ if you love good stories around war， this is a good book and surely I would give one star more but if you are looking to find clear practices and concepts on how to thrive through the complexity of the modern world， you will be a bit disappointed。The first half of the book explains us how the Taylorist （or reductionnist） view of the world perfectly applied by the US forces was not giving the expected results。 It explains also they have the best teams but this is not working when t Storytelling ！ if you love good stories around war， this is a good book and surely I would give one star more but if you are looking to find clear practices and concepts on how to thrive through the complexity of the modern world， you will be a bit disappointed。The first half of the book explains us how the Taylorist （or reductionnist） view of the world perfectly applied by the US forces was not giving the expected results。 It explains also they have the best teams but this is not working when they should work together as a team （of teams）。The second half explains how they made collaborating the different silos， how they improved massively the sharing of information at all levels， how they decentralized decision to allow fast decision on the ground and how all of these allowed the killing of Al-Zarqaoui， the ennemy they couldn't catch with old way。 。。。more
Amelia
，
It's ok。 A good blueprint toward better leadership， but there wasn't anything life changing a or particularly new。 The main points could've been summarized as bullet points。 The war stories were a little exhausting， but whatever。 I think the biggest issue is that toxic managers aren't going to read a book， and great leaders already practice what's inside the book。 It's ok。 A good blueprint toward better leadership， but there wasn't anything life changing a or particularly new。 The main points could've been summarized as bullet points。 The war stories were a little exhausting， but whatever。 I think the biggest issue is that toxic managers aren't going to read a book， and great leaders already practice what's inside the book。 。。。more
Phillip DeVries
，
I expected a repetitive and dry book， similar to the format of most business books （a concept that could be explained in a page ， but spread out over hundreds of pages）。 Instead it reads more like an interesting set of history lessons all tied together in an interesting way。 I learned so much history on why we do the things we do in various industries and why that is not going to work in our Information Age。 As someone who is working in an agile based system， it was great to hear some of the fun I expected a repetitive and dry book， similar to the format of most business books （a concept that could be explained in a page ， but spread out over hundreds of pages）。 Instead it reads more like an interesting set of history lessons all tied together in an interesting way。 I learned so much history on why we do the things we do in various industries and why that is not going to work in our Information Age。 As someone who is working in an agile based system， it was great to hear some of the fundamentals in getting large groups to pull in the same direction while also being able to change directions quickly when presented with new information。 I definitely recommend this to anyone who has to lead a team or groups of teams。 。。。more
Bernardo Marques
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One of the best book I've read recently on culture transformation， leadership， management and teams。 One of the best book I've read recently on culture transformation， leadership， management and teams。 。。。more
Koh
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Gen。 McChrystal was the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command （JSOC）。 He explained how， in the late 1800s， Frederick Taylor revolutionised the field of management with his book， "The Principles of Scientific Management"。 Taylor sought to remove waste from economy and society via standardisation （e。g。 of procedures， units） and labour specialization （each worker should be told clearly how they should complete their task）。 McChrystal， citing his personal experiences as well as anecdotes Gen。 McChrystal was the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command （JSOC）。 He explained how， in the late 1800s， Frederick Taylor revolutionised the field of management with his book， "The Principles of Scientific Management"。 Taylor sought to remove waste from economy and society via standardisation （e。g。 of procedures， units） and labour specialization （each worker should be told clearly how they should complete their task）。 McChrystal， citing his personal experiences as well as anecdotes from history， argues that such principles are not necessarily applicable in the present day。 The world has gotten a lot more inter-connected and information now flows at a quicker and more voluminous rate。 As a result， teams have to learn to adapt to new threats and react to "unknown unknowns"。 He added that Taylor's pursuit of efficiency can limit flexibility and resilience。 As such， McChrystal proposes organisations to follow a "team of teams" structure， where the relationships between constituent teams resembles those between individuals on a single team。 Teams are encouraged to break free from their silos to work and share information with each other。 Leaders are advised to not micro-manage， but rather to empower their teams to complete their tasks in ways they deem to be the best。 Of course， McChrystal gives a few caveats。 He recognised that empowerment without context creates chaos。 He states each organisation should only empower its people after it has done the "heavy lifting of creating shared consciousness"， i。e。 educate its members of the organisations' purpose and ensuring that its members have a certain level of proficiency in their task。Overall， this book is very clearly written。 Though， its difficult to tell if some of the principles described are also applicable to non-military or non-JSOC organisations。TLDR: Don't optimise for efficiency over everything else。 Reduce internal competition within your organisation， and don't micromanage。 。。。more
Mark
，
Pretty good book。 Beginning was kind of dry but had some interesting points
Liesl Andrico
，
A book for managing in the modern world - build trust， empower down， create high performing teams。
Sudhagar
，