SKIP TO CONTENTHarvard Business Review LogoHarvard Business Review LogoTeams|Prevent Team Friction from Turning into DysfunctionSubscribeLatestMagazineTopicsPodcastsStoreReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSearch hbr.orgSubscribeLatestPodcastsThe MagazineStoreWebinarsNewslettersAll TopicsReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveMy LibraryAccount SettingsExplore HBRLatestThe MagazinePodcastsStoreWebinarsNewslettersPopular TopicsManaging YourselfLeadershipStrategyManaging TeamsGenderInnovationWork-life BalanceAll TopicsFor SubscribersReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSubscribeMy AccountMy LibraryTopic FeedsOrdersAccount SettingsEmail PreferencesHarvard Business Review LogoTeams by Leonard A. Schlesinger, Joseph Fuller and Robert V. ToomeyJune 17, 2026Deagreez/Getty ImagesPostSummary. The strongest teams don’t succeed because they avoid conflict—they succeed because they understand how teammates process information, communicate under pressure, and approach decisionsLeer en españolLer em portuguêsPostIt was the second night of a global consulting project at a top-tier telecommunications company in Hanoi when the team found itself stuck.PostRead more on Teams or related topics Leadership styles, Developing employees, Project management, High potential employees and Management stylesPartner Center
Prevent Team Friction from Turning into Dysfunction
The strongest teams don’t succeed because they avoid conflict—they succeed because they understand how teammates process information, communicate under pressure, and approach decisions differently. Drawing on a redesign of Harvard Business School’s FIELD Global Immersion program, the authors argue that “interpersonal competence” is a learnable capability that helps teams anticipate and navigate cognitive differences before they become performance problems. After introducing training and tools designed to build that capability, the number of student teams requiring faculty intervention for serious collaboration breakdowns fell from 45 to one.
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