Why Team Chemistry Is the Next Competitive Edge and How to Measure It

When we think of what drives performance, most businesses still focus on individual skills: resumes, credentials, and past wins. However,  Michael Schrage, MIT Entrepreneurship Professor, AI Implementation and Business Case Expert points out in his article "Team Chemistry Is the New Holy Grail of Performance Analytics," that model is incomplete. The next frontier isn't individual excellence. It's collaborative excellence and team chemistry.

What Is Team Chemistry?

Team chemistry isn't about people liking each other or having similar personalities. It's about a powerful, often invisible synergy — the combinatorial effect of how people work together. The right mix of contributors can elevate the performance of everyone involved. The wrong mix can sink even the most talented players.

The 11-time NBA championship coach Phil Jackson best described it: "I was always looking for what creates the bonds." These aren't soft skills. They're performance differentiators and measured in elite sports.

Why Businesses Need to Catch Up

Sports franchises and elite teams are years ahead of most businesses in quantifying team dynamics. They're not just scouting for individual talent but engineering high-performance chemistry. The question is no longer "Who's the smartest?" but "Who makes everyone else better?"

Businesses deserve that same edge.

Meet the CollabGenius Team Chemistry Analyzer

We've built a way to quantify what most teams miss. Our Team Chemistry Analyzer goes beyond personality tests and gut feeling. It uses behavioral data about how people choose to contribute to team outcomes to identify consistently

• Which combinations of people will amplify performance
• Who plays which Role, and how those Roles interact under pressure
• How to build teams that are measurably more than the sum of their parts

It's not about cultural fit. It's about collaborative function.

Winning teams aren’t accidental — they’re engineered. The secret isn’t just understanding individual potential, but knowing what drives performance between people. Whether you’re hiring, coaching, or restructuring, your most strategic move is designing the right chemistry from the start.

Team chemistry is no longer nice; it's a must.