Think One Team

by Graham Winter

Every day around the world, thousands of organisations irritate customers, frustrate employees and lose countless opportunities because of one simple they don’t think and act as one team. Sound familiar? Sydney, Australia. At O’Donnell’s Jelly Bean Company, life isn’t so sweet. Between communication breakdown, staff turnover and the dreaded ‘silo’ syndrome, morale is at an all-time low and the company’s outlook is grim. How will the staff at O’Donnell’s overcome these hurdles to unite and save the company? In T hink One Team ,  Graham Winter weaves a fun and engaging business fable into a practical model that unlocks the power of teamwork across boundaries, empowering organisations to realise the possibilities that come from thinking and acting as one team. This book will inspire and guide you and your colleagues An enjoyable tale of jelly beans and a company overcoming crisis, Think One Team is a must-read for anyone who wants his or her organisation to perform at its highest level.

Genres: Leadership, Business

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seems to be built based on the consulting experience of the author. I can't say I remember anything from it and remember not being pleased with the substance of it as I was reading.

My Tweet: Advocates a "mental model" to defeat silos and share the big picture, reality, air, load and wins/losses. United leadership is needed.

[Stephen Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, easy, fast. And obvious if you think about organisational agility at all. But nonetheless a great little read; you can knock it off in an afternoon.

I'm certain it's quite the eye-opener for traditional thinkers.

[Pieter Voorwinden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, really enjoyed the insight in restoring silo thinking with ‘one team’ thinking.

Think One Team by Graham Winter is a business and leadership book focused on breaking down organizational silos to foster a more collaborative, high-performance culture. The core idea is that teams within an organization should work together as a unified entity, rather than in isolation, to achieve collective success.

The book outlines five practical principles to help leaders and organizations build a “one team” mentality:

1. Realizing Interdependence: Understanding that success depends on collaboration across all areas of the business.
2. Communication and Transparency: Encouraging open, honest communication between teams to create trust and eliminate misunderstandings.
3. Shared Goals: Aligning the entire organization around common goals and a shared vision to motivate employees to work together.
4. Leadership and Role Models: Leaders should set an example by fostering collaboration, breaking down barriers, and encouraging cross-functional teamwork.
5. Focus on the Big Picture: Reminding teams to always consider how their work contributes to the larger mission of the organization.

Winter uses engaging anecdotes and case studies to illustrate these points, showing how adopting a “one team” mindset can lead to better decision-making, innovation, and overall organizational success.

Absolutely a must read for anyone who wants better outcomes and cooperation within his/her organisation.

[Paul W · Rating 1 out of 5]

O'Donnell starts by asking us to "imagine the possibilities when everyone in your organisation thinks and acts as one big team."€He then proceeds to outline how this can be realised through a fable about a jelly bean team. Like Lencioni, you can skip to page 111 to get to the real insights - with his five practices having a nice symmetry with Lencioni's five dysfunctions:
#1: Share the big picture - by "creating a believable and emotionally compelling story"
#2: Share the reality - "O'Donnell quotes Collins' "Good to Great" noting that "in great organisations people hold discussions that confront reality"
#3: Share the air - "tapping into everyone's ideas and energy to create an awesome team" by "giving people time to express their views"
#4: Share the load - working together on actions that realise the "big picture"
#5: Share the wins and losses - having clear goals and measures and avoiding focusing on the process and not the outcomes
This book's insights are less dependent than Lencioni's on hierarchical teams with structured reporting relationships for implementation.
A useful reminder of practices that many recognise we should be doing.

[Beej Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read.. And I have certainly taken a lot from the book with regard to workplace interrelations and behaviors. Have completed in house Think One Team training at my workplace, so this is a good referral tool also.