Few television shows have captured the British public’s attention quite like The Traitors. The BBC’s hit reality show pits two groups against each other: the Traitors, who secretly work together to eliminate the other contestants. On the other side, the Faithful, who must identify them before it’s too late.

Despite the deception at its heart, the show offers a fascinating lesson in teamwork. In the fifth series of the regular show featured the first pair of Traitors to win together. This followed a traitor victory in series two and a traitor triumph in the first Celebrity Traitors. These successes raise an interesting question: what advantage does a team gain when its members can trust one another and develop a strategy together?

The Traitors have a significant advantage because they can discuss their options, challenge each other’s thinking and coordinate their actions before facing the wider group. The Faithful, by contrast, must interpret events largely on their own, developing competing theories and deciding individually whom to trust. Despite sharing the same objective, they can end up playing their own game.

The same dynamic can often play out in organisations. People can be united behind a common ambition without agreeing on how to achieve it. Without the trust and opportunity to discuss different perspective and challenge assumptions, individuals can pursue competing agendas. This leaves their efforts pulling in different directions.

The issue isn’t that everyone thinks alike; it’s whether different perspectives can be brought together into a coherent approach.

For business leaders, the lesson is that a shared goal is only the starting point for high performance. Organisations need a culture in which people feel able to speak openly, challenge one another constructively and align around a common strategy.

That doesn’t mean eliminating disagreement; it means creating the conditions to turn it into better decisions and coordinated action. Having talented people working towards the same goal is one thing. Getting them to work together to achieve it is what makes the difference.

What’s next

Do you hear culture being summarised in a single word? We explain why it’s not that simple.

Confused about what ‘culture’ actually means? Here’s the difference between organisational and workplace culture.

Prefer your content in audio form?

Listen to Mark Cuddigan, CEO of THIS, discussing life in charge of a plant-based B-Corp certified organisation

Potential, realised

At Coode, we look at strategy through a human lens because success depends on how people work together. When leadership teams achieve real alignment in how they lead, they unlock performance that may have been present all along but not yet fully realised.

To explore how Coode helps leaders define culture and align it with their strategy and context, visit our services page or get in touch here.

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