Four unique types of teams and how to lead each

Executive overview

Most organizations misuse the word "team" — applying it to groups that are actually independent collections of individuals with no shared fate. The distinction matters because the structure that helps one type of team thrive will actively harm another.

Susan Gerke's two-axis framework maps teams by interdependence (independent ↔ interdependent) and expertise (similar ↔ varied), producing four distinct types. Each type calls for different meeting cadences, goal structures, and reward systems.

The biggest mistake leaders make is running a track-and-field team like a football team — forcing interdependence where independence would perform better.

The four team types

1. Bowling team — independent + similar expertise. Each member does the same work autonomously; scores are simply added up. Accounts payable departments are a typical example.
2. Track and field team — independent + varied expertise. Members have distinct, non-interchangeable skills; performance is aggregated. Sales teams with separate product lines often fit here.
3. Synchronized swimming team — interdependent + similar expertise. Everyone shares core skills but must coordinate tightly; individual brilliance is irrelevant if the group is out of sync. Call centers are a close analogy.
4. Football team — interdependent + varied expertise. Highly specialized roles that only work when they mesh precisely. Executive leadership teams function best this way.

How to identify your team type

• Map your team on the two axes: where are you now, and where do you need to be?
• Use two colours of sticky dots — one for "where we are," one for "where we need to be" — and let the team place them independently before discussing.
• Mismatches are common: IT leadership teams that share weekly updates without making joint decisions are acting like a track-and-field team when the organization needs them to be a football team.
• A team can be effective as a group; not every group needs to become a team.

Meetings and communication

• Interdependent teams need frequent, substantive meetings — possibly daily or weekly — because what one person does immediately affects others.
• Independent teams (bowling, track and field) mainly need logistical coordination: schedules, deadlines, coverage. Long strategy sessions are usually wasted effort for them.
• Football teams hold "huddles" continuously during the game — the meeting cadence mirrors the pace of interdependence.
• Ask: does our meeting content match our actual interdependence level?

Goals and rewards

• Interdependent teams need a dominant team goal that overrides individual goals when they conflict. If the running back is 120 yards from a personal record but the play call requires something else, the team goal wins.
• Independent teams perform better when driven by strong individual goals first, with team totals as a secondary metric.
• Reward systems must match: rewarding individual performance on an interdependent team, or team performance on an independent one, creates misaligned incentives.
• A synchronized swimming team scores on synchronization — the reward is collective by design.

Teamwork vs. being a team

• Independent teams can still have strong teamwork: covering for absent colleagues, sharing best practices, celebrating wins together.
• Morale and engagement do not require interdependence. A bowling-style accounts payable team can be highly engaged without needing to coordinate daily.
• The goal is to match the structure to the work — not to force everyone into the football-team model because it sounds more impressive.

Developing teams across all four types

• Start with the framework: have the team identify what type they are and what type they need to be.
• From there, diagnose the specific gap — clarity of purpose, meeting structure, decision-making ability, conflict handling, or reward alignment.
• Training interventions should target the actual gap, not generic "team-building."
• Cross-functional project groups often default to track-and-field dynamics (serial handoffs) when the work demands football-team integration (joint ownership from start to finish).