How To Design Future-Ready Teams?
Updated: Mar 8, 2025
Written by: Nad Philips, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We will define what is a prosocial team that is a” future fit”, and the role of the team leader and will explain the method we developed to Design cooperative relationships for team performance and well-being.
A prosocial team is:
Above all relational, seeking to build strong bonds among all its members and with the team leader towards the realization of the mission. The “who” before the” what” means choosing the right person to perform a task. Productivity is directly related to the relationship one has with the task at hand; if one has the capability and motivation, the task will be executed perfectly, and anything else will be a compromise.
Free from one-upmanship, power struggles, and dominance/submission games. Appreciating each other’s strengths. Seeking to complement each other, one’s strength renders another’s weaknesses obsolete and vice versa.
Securely attached, providing psychological safety where each member is accepted, belongs, is seen, has his place and role, and is loved and respected. Members are connected and in resonance with each other.
Systemic. A system is a dynamic network of interdependent parts cooperating to fulfill a function efficiently, going from one form of equilibrium to a higher one as it deals with higher levels of complexity. Each team member has a unique vantage point. Accounting for all members’ perceptions allows us to build a global vision.
Learning and evolving, adapting, and anticipating a VUCA world. Members deal with the three forms of complexity: a) dynamic, meaning that cause and effects are distant, b) generative, meaning that the gap between the present and the emergent future is creating uncertainty and c) behavioral, meaning stakeholders have different levels of perceptions and ways of doing. In short, the team is a future fit adapting to an emergent future.
Working on the three horizons at once: 1) current offerings through continuous improvement, 2) next offerings through innovation, and 3) Disruptive substitutes through research, intelligence, reskilling, and upskilling.
The team leader’s role:
The leader of pro-social teams provides love and respect to each member, stimulates the team intellectually, gives hope, shows individual consideration to each member, gives meaning, and makes sense of the team’s mission, uses a values-based governance system to coordinate the team efforts towards the goal, is trustworthy and fair. Works on his socio-emotional maturity and uses management by dialogue. Understands and practices intrinsic motivation, is people-centered, and satisfies his team members’ needs for self-determination.
Allocate tasks according to competencies, motivation, and willingness or interest to learn and push boundaries.
Building pro-social teams by design:
Team members will gradually engage in a series of guided self-disclosure over the course of several months as the level of trust between members increases. It starts with non-confrontational themes and ends with sharing psychological test results.
The first steps typically will involve a PEST analysis to build the vision and mission, will continue to set ground rules on team behavior and interactions, sharing expectations, setting roles and responsibilities, level of engagement and accountability, team processes and coordination, modes of decision making and systems of prioritization. Moving to strengths and preferences, values, beliefs, intentions, and finally, psychological profiles.
At each stage after the self-disclosure session, the team designs the operating system based on the profile of the members and the team project(vision/mission).
Nad Philips, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nad is an adult learning and development, global consultant. He specializes in helping teams design prosocial relationships and become future fit. Prior to coaching Nad served as European VP and MD France for a Fortune 500 company. He was an honorary professor with ESSEC Business school. Nad also launched several startups in Europe. He is an Amazon best-selling author and lives in Paris, France.
