Why Defining Teams Is So Hard – By John Cutler
Defining teams within organizations can be challenging due to the complex dynamics between different perspectives on team structure. Various views, such as product, design, technology, and collaboration, often lead to misalignment and confusion. Addressing these discrepancies requires open discussion and a willingness to confront existing narratives and power structures.
- ▪Organizations often struggle to articulate what constitutes a team due to political and social dynamics.
- ▪Different departments, such as product management, design, and technology, have varying perspectives on team structure and purpose.
- ▪Misalignment between these views can lead to inefficiencies and confusion in delivering cohesive customer experiences.
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| Original publisher | Hacker News (Newest) |
| Canonical URL | https://cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-423-why-defining-teams-is-so |
| Publication time | Sun, 24 May 2026 10:54:03 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-24T11:07:32.394Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-24T11:07:32.394Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
TBM 423: Why Defining Teams Is So HardJohn CutlerMay 21, 20263843ShareHint: It’s not some magic skill.This post is for anyone who has tried to answer “What is a team?” and been caught between three things: confusion at why such a simple question was so hard, a gut feeling that if people could just describe reality honestly things would get so much better, and the deflating experience of watching that honesty get met with resistance.Why is it so easy to describe how an organization actually works, and so hard to say it out loud?Chris Argyris called these “undiscussables”: things everyone in the room can see, but that are tacitly off-limits to name.
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