Innovative Leadership Insights: Unleashing X-Teams and Family Ghosts with Deborah Ancona, MIT Professor and Team Dynamics Expert

Deborah Ancona's area of expertise includes organizational behavior, leadership, and the dynamics of high-performing teams. She is mainly known for her pioneering research into how successful teams operate, which led to the concept of X-teams—a framework for driving innovation within large organizations. Ancona's work also focuses on distributed leadership and creating research-based tools, practices, and teaching models to foster creative leadership at all organizational levels.

 

Deborah is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor at the Sloan School of Management. She is best known for pioneering research on high-performing teams and distributing nimble leadership and leadership signatures.

Deborah is also the founder of the MIT Leadership Center, which is revolutionizing traditional leadership to solve the most challenging problems in management.

Her book X-Teams gives deep insights into creating innovative, successful teams with examples from Microsoft, Takeda, and the Museum of Modern Art. She also co-founded xLEAD, which develops research-based tools to encourage creative leadership across management levels. Her work bridges theory and practice, bringing novel ideas into leadership practice.

Deborah has been with MIT for over 20 years and, in 2018, was awarded the Jamieson Prize, MIT Sloan’s highest teaching honor. Her widely acclaimed research on how family upbringing affects workplace behavior was published in the Harvard Business Review, titled “Family Ghosts in the Executive Suite”, as was her article on the 4-CAPS+ model, “In Praise of the Incomplete Leader”.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahancona123/
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/centers-initiatives/mit-leadership-center/our-people-mit-leadership-center
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591396921
https://www.xlead.co/about

On the podcast, Deborah would love to talk about:

How high-performing teams monitor trends within and outside the organization to perform better.

I use the distributed leadership model to adapt to today's rapidly changing business environment.

Knowing your “family ghosts” and leadership signature can push your leadership to the next level.

Leadership in Rapidly Changing Environments

Deborah, a professor at MIT Sloan, discussed her research on leadership for rapidly changing environments, including developing capabilities for innovative teams and agile organizations, as well as the impact of childhood experiences on executives. Michael acknowledged the complexity of contemporary organizations due to factors like the pandemic, new workforce generations, and differing expectations.

Understanding Purpose and Culture in Organizations

Michael and Deborah discussed the importance of clearly understanding an organization's purpose and culture. Deborah emphasized the significance of answering the question of 'why should we exist?' and highlighted the usefulness of culture decks, which help to align employees around a shared vision. Michael illustrated this point by discussing the evolution of Netflix and the need for their culture to remain in sync with their changing business model. Both agreed on the necessity of inclusiveness in shaping an organization's culture.

Leadership, Learning, and Curiosity in Organizations

Michael and Deborah discussed the importance of including all stakeholders and fostering a culture of learning and curiosity in organizations. They emphasized the need for leadership at all levels and the value of funneling and choice mechanisms to evaluate new ideas. They also highlighted the role of curiosity in driving innovation and overcoming challenges. Deborah shared her insights on how leaders can facilitate learning and address their "shoulds" that may hold them back. Michael agreed and pointed out the benefits of involving teams as advisors and maintaining a curious approach to opportunities and challenges.

X Teams and Curiosity in Organizations

Deborah discussed creating 'X teams,' which are externally focused and aim to understand customer demands, technology usage, and other contextual factors. She emphasized the importance of curiosity and inter-team coordination in these groups. Deborah also suggested that organizations could encourage curiosity by having team members interview customers or explore how technology is used in their domain. Michael shared a positive experience where such an approach was successfully applied, highlighting the value of customer feedback and the potential for new product features.

Understanding Customer Needs and Empathy

Michael and Deborah discussed the importance of understanding customer needs and pain points. Deborah shared an example of a Microsoft team that delved deeper into understanding their customers' issues, leading to the development of products that addressed those problems. Michael agreed with this approach, highlighting the value of conversations that seek to understand different viewpoints and perspectives. He emphasized the need for more people to engage in such discussions to foster empathy and understanding, which he believes is crucial today.

Disruptive Technologies for Positive Change

Michael and Deborah discussed the future of organizations and society. Deborah expressed hope in the potential of new technologies to positively impact various domains, such as healthcare and climate change. However, she also highlighted the need to balance the use of technology with empathy and critical thinking. Michael agreed, noting that people are increasingly curious and willing to learn from others to improve their organizations. Both emphasized the importance of discarding ineffective practices and using technology for the betterment of society.

Discussing Deborah's Work on Healthy Organizations

Michael and Deborah discussed her work and the importance of creating healthy organizations. Deborah shared that her work could be found on her faculty page at MIT Sloan, Exec Ed at MIT Sloan, and Exlead Co, which offers access to tools and a simulation tool. Michael expressed his appreciation for Deborah's work, highlighting its significance in making organizations healthier and more productive. They both emphasized the importance of reframing and changing mindsets to improve individual and organizational performance.