What would Machiavelli think? An overview of the leadership challenges in team‐based structures

The writings of Niccolò Machiavelli continue to resonate with today's business leaders. Current management literature still focuses on tactics to increase power as a means to ensure a leadership position. This attention to individual accomplishment and the building of power runs counter to what is happening structurally within organizations. The acceleration in the use of team‐based structures as a preferred method of organization and decision making reflects the need for timelier processing of information in a world of increased environmental uncertainty. This contrast between the behaviors needed to build individual power and the collaborative skills necessitated by team‐based structures creates a number of leadership challenges for individuals and organizations. This article discusses these challenges from both a theory‐based and a practitioner standpoint, assesses the implications for organizational managers and individual team members, and offers recommendations for leadership effectiveness in a work world dominated by team‐based design.