Dream Teams

An adventure into the very human science of making breakthroughs together.' - Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit The best groups are more than the sum of their parts - but why does teamwork so often fail to fulfill this promise? Award-winning entrepreneur and journalist Shane Snow takes us on an extraordinary tour of the hidden science of team dynamics, revealing the counterintuitive reasons that some groups break out while far too many break down. Examining history-making groups like the Wu Tang Clan and the Russian national hockey side alongside teams whose failures have had lasting impact, Snow reveals the answers, and what the rest of us can learn from the rare teams that do the impossible together. In this stimulating, pacey adventure through history, neuroscience, psychology, sports and business, Snow explores the secrets of the best teams the world has to offer. You'll discover: - How ragtag teams - from soccer clubs to startups to gangs of pirates - beat the odds throughout history - Why DaimlerChrysler flopped while the Wu-Tang Clan succeeded, and the surprising factor behind most failed mergers, marriages, and partnerships - What the Wright Brothers' daily arguments can teach us about group problem solving - The true stories of pioneering women in law enforcement, unlikely civil rights collaborators, and underdog armies that did the incredible together - The team players behind great social movements in history, and the science of becoming open-minded. Provocative and entertaining, Dream Teams is a landmark work that will change the way we think about progress and collaboration.