The Secret Sauce of Innovation: How Awkward Teams and Uncomfortable Meetings Make Companies Win

Picture the perfect team: everyone gets along, meetings are smooth, and decisions are unanimous. Sounds ideal, right? Not so fast. According to Tim Harford’s 'Messy,' the most effective teams are often the most awkward. They argue, challenge each other, and bring wildly different perspectives to the table. The result? Breakthrough ideas and game-changing innovation.

Research shows that teams composed of people from diverse backgrounds consistently outperform groups of close friends, even though they feel less confident and enjoy the process less. It’s the discomfort—the need to explain, defend, and rethink—that drives deeper analysis and better solutions. In one famous experiment, mystery-solving teams with a stranger present cracked the case far more often than groups of friends.



The power of 'weak ties'—those acquaintances and distant colleagues you rarely chat with—also plays a key role. These connections bring new information and fresh ideas, often sparking the very breakthroughs that close-knit teams miss. The lesson? Don’t avoid disagreement or awkwardness. Instead, seek it out and use it to fuel your team’s creative engine.

Actionable tip: Next time you’re assembling a team, look beyond the usual suspects. Invite someone who thinks differently, who might even make things a bit uncomfortable. Embrace the productive tension and watch your team’s ideas soar.

References: Harford, T. (2016). Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives. 1 3