Business leaders often speak about teams – collaboration and teamwork is a part of almost every organization’s core values. You may have heard of the Spotify operating model that uses cross-functional teams and product ownership. Or perhaps you've heard about Amazon's "two-pizza" teams that limit team size to something manageable. But you may not have heard about how the FBI used effective teams to bring down the mafia in NYC in 2011.
The FBI had tried for decades with only marginal success. Their initial approach was to target organized crime as a whole, which proved ineffective. A new, unified approach was taken: they assigned a specific team to each of the mafia families in NYC. These teams were composed of FBI agents, New York City police, and others, making them truly cross-functional.
This strategy allowed each team to get to know one family deeply—how they worked, who the key players were, and where they would meet – and to gather detailed intelligence. The teams would then coordinate with teams assigned to other families to share information and understand how the different families worked together. This combination of deep, focused expertise and inter-team coordination ultimately led to the successful takedown of the mafia.
Many organizations have found success using a similar approach, assigning cross-functional teams to solve complex problems.
Key Takeaways for Businesses
The FBI’s success offers valuable lessons for any organization looking to improve how they operate. Here are some key principles to keep in mind when exploring teams:
Teams don't have to be permanent. People can come together in different configurations as needs arise and disband once they have made appropriate progress.
Focus on a specific part of your business. When driving strategic change and mindset shifts, teaming can be a great way to manage change. Focus efforts on one part of your business first, then use that success to drive change more broadly.
Structure a way for teams to exchange knowledge. The FBI teams' ability to share learnings and coordinate was crucial to their success. Organizations should build a structure that allows teams to exchange knowledge and share what they've learned.
Here’s a great example of how these teaming principles have been applied in a real-world setting: an oil & gas company created a team to address onshore logistics. They didn’t have one specific outcome in mind; their mandate was to make it better. This team even added someone who worked on Pokémon Go (hired for a limited time frame and assigned only to this question) to the team to bring in a fresh perspective.
SRO Advisors can help you apply these principles to your organization so you can team for success. Contact us today to discuss how we can work together!
