Leading teamsSeven research-backed practices. by Ron FriedmanFrom the Magazine (May–June 2026)The Voorhes/Gallery StockSummary. Leer en españolLer em portuguêsPostBuy CopiesIn the spring of 2022, after a grueling 58-loss season, the Oklahoma City Thunder sat near the bottom of the NBA standings. Then something remarkable happened: The franchise started getting better, fast.Read more on Leading teams or related topics Leadership, Collaboration and teams and TeamsA version of this article appeared in the May–June 2026 issue of Harvard Business Review.PostBuy CopiesRead more on Leading teams or related topics Leadership, Collaboration and teams and Teams
How to Build a Superteam That Keeps Getting Better
In periods of rapid change, the teams that outperform everyone else are not those with the best plans or the most talent but those that learn the fastest. Research across thousands of teams reveals a consistent pattern: High-performing teams—“superteams”—build cultures of continuous improvement. Their leaders encourage experimentation even when things are going well, make curiosity and intellectual humility contagious, surface problems early, stay close to the work, give feedback that supports learning rather than punishing mistakes, and invest in people’s growth even when it doesn’t pay off immediately. When work is tied to shared meaning and progress matters more than perfection, teams become more resilient, adaptable, and capable of sustained success—in business settings and beyond.







