In 1999, Harvard professor Amy Edmondson identified psychological safety as the strongest predictor of team performance. Over a decade later, Google's Project Aristotle studied hundreds of teams and confirmed that psychological safety was the single most important factor in what made a team succeed.

But here's what the research also found: 85% of employees have withheld important information from their manager because they feared the consequences of speaking up.

Researcher and author Brené Brown puts it plainly: "There's not a CEO alive that doesn't know that there's nothing harder than building trust on teams." Her research shows that vulnerability, the willingness to be open and honest, doesn't weaken teams. It strengthens trust, connection, and innovation within them.

Most teams aren't failing because of lack of talent. They're failing because people don't feel safe enough (or understood enough) to bring their best.

Research from the Harvard Business Review shows that teams with high emotional intelligence experience a 25% boost in productivity. And studies by TalentSmart indicate that emotional intelligence accounts for 58% of job performance more than technical skills or IQ.

The conclusion is consistent across decades of research: 

When people understand themselves and each other, teams perform better.

Team Dynamics Lab is built on exactly this.

Sources

• Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behaviour in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly.

• Google. (2015). Project Aristotle — Understanding Team Effectiveness. re:Work.

• Edmondson, A. & Detert, J. Speaking Up in the Workplace. Harvard Business School.

• Brown, B. (2018). Dare to Lead. Random House.

• TalentSmart. Emotional Intelligence and Job Performance Research.

• Discover 

Every program begins before anyone enters a room. A discovery call with the team lead or HR contact ensures the program is customized to your team's specific dynamics, challenges, and goals. A pre-workshop survey is then sent to all participants. So the experience is grounded in your team's real situation, not a generic script.

• Different People. One Team. 

The centrepiece of the program. A 4-hour facilitated workshop where participants discover their HIVE type, understand their teammates, and practise working across differences through guided activities, real scenarios, and honest reflection. This is where the shift happens.

• Debrief 

Within 3 days of the workshop, the team lead or HR contact receives a structured written report. It covers key observations about the team's dynamics, highlights from the session, a summary of participant feedback, and three specific recommendations for keeping the momentum going.

• Deepen (Premium only) 

Two weeks after the workshop, a 30-minute follow-up call is held to review how the team has been applying what they learned. A customized next steps plan tailored to the team's specific HIVE type mix.

Standard (up to 20 participants)

• Pre-program discovery call

• Pre-workshop team survey

• HIVE Assessment for all participants

• 4-hour facilitated workshop — Different People. One Team.

• Printed participant handouts and workbooks

• Working With take-home reference guide

• Post-workshop evaluation report and recommendations

Premium (up to 35 participants) 

• Everything in Standard, plus:

  • Deepen call — 30 minutes, 2 weeks post-workshop

  • Customized next steps plan for the team

  • Ongoing support options tailored to your team's needs

• Your team is growing and needs a shared language

• Communication keeps breaking down despite good intentions

• You want to invest in culture before it becomes a crisis

• You're ready to build a team that's courageous, connected, and built to last