Teams with clear goals, values, rules, roles and processes, backed by full individual

commitment, are primed for peak performance.

In 1996, expert climber David Breashears* united his team behind a seemingly impossible goal:
capture Mount Everest on IMAX film. While many climbers pursue the peak with a singular
obsession, Breashears never forced his team to get to the top, as he believed the mountain
“has to allow us to climb it”.

This wisdom led them to turn back on their first ascent when they felt conditions were not
secure. It was on their second attempt that Breashears’ team not only achieved their filmmaking
goal, but also assisted climbers caught in a sudden, devastating blizzard. This dramatic rescue
became the focus of their documentary Everest, the highest-grossing IMAX film ever made.

This historic expedition is a powerful case study, demonstrating the six key dimensions needed
to manage a team for high performance: goals, values, rules, roles, processes and individual
commitment.

Drawing on insights from our studies in sports and corporations, we propose an expansion of
the famous GRPI framework (goals, roles and responsibilities, process and interpersonal
relations) developed by Richard Beckhard in 1972. In our recent working paper, we argue that
the framework omits two essential elements: values and rules. These additional dimensions are
essential for building teams that go beyond simply functioning and truly excel.

We therefore propose an extended model which neatly breaks these six dimensions down into
three levels (see figure 1). At the base, goals, values and rules are common to all team
members, and provide team solidarity amongst members. The second level encompasses roles
and processes which are specific to certain individuals or subgroups. Finally, at the apex,
individual commitment is unique to each team member. It’s essential to address these elements
in sequential order to achieve full alignment.
Goals, values and rules: securing the team’s mission

Goals, values and rules are three distinct and complementary ways to bond team members.
Together, these elements create the solidarity needed for group members to become a true
team.

Goals are the foundational element of teams. They provide a shared purpose and direction for
the team's efforts. Once goals are established, values and rules then come into play and define
how those goals will be achieved.

Values are the team's guiding principles for interacting with one another and external
stakeholders. These principles define the expected behaviours within the team, such as
integrity, collaboration and trust.

Rules translate values into action. Unlike aspirational values, they are specific and require
compliance. They set clear boundaries for team behaviour and ensure actions align with both
the team's goals and its core values.
The IMAX team's goal was a complex filming project, more about exploring the majestic
mountain than just executing the climb. Focusing on this goal was a key factor in avoiding the
tragedies that befell other teams aiming to reach the top at any cost.

Breashears insisted on carefully selecting team members based on their values. He looked for
individuals who were selfless, respectful of the mountain and their teammates, and embodied
the courage and autonomy of skilled mountaineers. This meant they could solve problems they
faced without creating issues for others.

This emphasis on the right values directly shaped the rules enforced by team members. Strict
rules such as “going up is optional, coming down is mandatory" and "we have options and
slack" were like a mantra to Breashears.

This optionality extended to leadership roles. Breashears recognised the danger of a single
leader on a mountain where anyone could become incapacitated. To address this, he
introduced a shared leadership model with his two assistant guides, ensuring he wouldn't be the
sole decision-maker. These simple practices and clear rules were noticeably absent or
disregarded by the teams that met with disaster.

In the business world, these three elements of goals, values and rules can be thought of as the
foundational trinity that defines a business project or a company's mission. Unfortunately, these
crucial elements are often overlooked or rushed during team formation. Such a hasty approach
can lead to many dysfunctions and problems within the team down the line.

Roles, processes and individual commitments: the performance ingredients

Once the team's mission has been clearly specified, the next step is to specify how it will be
achieved. This is where delegation (roles), mutual adjustments (processes) and individual
commitments come into play.

Roles define the tasks to be accomplished and the specific responsibilities of each team
member. Clear roles help engagement, prevent confusion, and promote team cohesion and
commitment.

Processes guide the interactions among key members. These include how to communicate,
generate and explore options, make decisions, agree on strategies and tactics, identify and
anticipate new challenges, and resolve potential conflicts with each other and stakeholders.
Well-defined processes ensure smooth collaboration, efficient problem-solving and team
collaboration.

Ultimately, the success of the team depends heavily on the efforts and contributions of each
member. Attention therefore needs to be paid to individual needs and motivations to ensure
each member feels fully invested in the team's mission and success. Individual commitment the
most important ingredient – is thus both the final element needed to build and manage effective
teams.

Breashears' Everest team exemplified all these elements in action. Even novice climbers played
a vital role as risk managers by asking seemingly simple yet potentially life-saving questions like
"Is this really okay?" These questions, easily overlooked by seasoned leaders due to
overconfidence, make all the difference. Sherpas, with their deep and intuitive knowledge of
Everest, played the vital role of mountain experts, heavily influencing the crucial decision to turn
back on the first attempt.

Another critical ingredient to the team’s sustained performance lay in their processes – refined
over years of experience and explicitly shared with all team members. Pre-established
scenarios, based on past climbs, were sent to all members to study and challenge. Team
members were asked to come up with improvements or scenarios that may be missing. If they
could not, these scenarios became the team's “law of the land”. These pre-agreed scenarios
reduced uncertainty and were a way to manage the risks that arise in Everest’s “death zone”.

Individual commitments thrived because of these practices. As team members actively

participated and contributed, their trust and confidence grew – in the project itself, its goals, the
leadership, their team members and ultimately, the processes that guided them.

We shared our GVRu/RoP/I model with Breashears, who immediately validated its usefulness
as a checklist. He confirmed that each time he or other teams ran into trouble, it was indeed due
to a failure in one or several of the six dimensions in the model.

In a corporate context, this model acts as a valuable checklist for managers, whether preparing
for a project or a simple meeting. One project manager, after learning about the model, realised
he'd made a critical mistake. Too eager to impress his CEO, he had hastily accepted a project
leadership role without fully understanding the project's goals (set too high) and the rules
guiding requests for additional resources. His quick acceptance set him up for failure, as he
hadn't discussed the goals or whether he could request for more resources to achieve them.

By proactively addressing each dimension sequentially, leaders can create high-performing

teams capable of achieving remarkable things, just like Breashears's team on Everest. This
approach can help teams avoid the pitfalls of unclear goals, misaligned values or poorly defined
roles and processes. It ensures everyone is working together towards the same vision,
delivering the expected results, and prepared to adapt to any challenge that may arise.

*In memory of our dear friend David Breashears, who passed away at his home on March 14,
2024. May his final ascent be a blessed one.

Find article at https://knowledge.insead.edu/leadership-organisations/six-dimensions-winning-

teams
About the author(s)

Alain Goudsmet is founder of the Mentally Fit Institute and spent a large part of his career as a
mental coach in tennis and field hockey for top athletes and teams. He now applies sports
methods to develop “Corporate Athletes”.

Ludo Van der Heyden is the INSEAD Chaired Professor of Corporate Governance and
Emeritus Professor of Technology and Operations Management. He is the founder of the
INSEAD Corporate Governance Centre.

About the research "The Six Dimensions of Winning Teams" is a working paper.