Superteams The Science and Secrets of High-Performing Teams

FEATURED ON THE COVER OF HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SABEW 2026 BEST IN BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS
“An outstanding book.” —NPR
“A valuable guide for teams and managers seeking to improve performance.” —The Wall Street Journal
“A rare read that introduces fresh ideas about how to make groups more than the sum of their parts.” —Adam Grant, bestselling author of Think Again
“The ultimate playbook for how to build exceptional teams.” —Fast Company
What do the best teams do differently?
To find out, award-winning social psychologist Ron Friedman surveyed thousands of teams and pinpointed the precise habits that separate the best from the rest.
The results upend everything we think we know about teamwork. It turns out that the most successful teams aren’t the ones that collaborate most, get along best, or put in the longest hours. What really sets them apart is the way they manage their energy and attention, bring out the best in one another, and keep improving over time.
Blending eye-opening discoveries with unforgettable stories, Superteams takes you inside the writers’ room of Succession and Bridgerton, the recording studio of ABBA and Fleetwood Mac, the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, the laboratories of Nobel Prize-winning scientists, the locker rooms of NBA and NFL teams, and the boardrooms of the world's most innovative companies.
You will learn:
- A simple rule that instantly cuts meeting time in half
- Why the secret to better teamwork is less teamwork
- The one question that makes team decisions up to 30% smarter
- The only office perk that improves performance (spoiler: it’s not coffee)
- How personal productivity hacks make teamwork harder
- Why feeling like the smartest person in the room is a red flag
- Why top performers care more about disappointing their peers than their boss
- How the best teams avoid burnout without working fewer hours
- The science of truly restorative breaks, evenings, and vacations
- How to build a team that keeps getting better (even when you’re not in charge)
Smart, insightful, and relentlessly practical, this is your science-backed guide to turning your team into a Superteam.