Business · Companies · 7 hrs ago
Collective confidence can help teams work better, researcher says
Organizational researcher and executive coach André Martin argues that teams, rather than individuals alone, are the main unit of performance at work.
He says collective confidence means a shared belief that a team can achieve its goals.
Research cited in his book links that confidence with stronger motivation, more ambitious goals and better communication and cooperation.
Teams with that shared belief may outperform teams with similarly skilled members who have less confidence in one another.
Martin says leaders can build confidence by helping people see how their individual skills contribute to the group.
He also recommends giving teams meaningful, low-risk chances to succeed together and letting them learn from high-performing teams.
The article describes a London children’s hospital team studying motor-racing pit crews to improve the handover of children to intensive care after heart surgery.
It presents collective confidence as a way to help teams handle pressure and overcome setbacks together.
Organizational researcher and executive coach André Martin says collective confidence can help teams perform more effectively.
He describes it as a shared belief that a team can achieve its goals.
The article says research links high collective confidence with greater motivation, more ambitious goals and stronger communication and collaboration.
Martin recommends building individual confidence, recognizing each person’s contribution and creating opportunities for teams to succeed together.
- Who
- Organizational researcher and executive coach André Martin discusses how teams can build collective confidence.
- What
- Martin says collective confidence can improve team performance and offers principles for developing it.
- When
- The article was published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The article discusses the modern workplace. It also describes an example involving Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.
- Why
- Martin argues that a shared belief in a team’s ability helps its members work together, handle obstacles and perform effectively.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
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- Researcher
- André Martin
- Article publication date
- October 12, 2026
- Hospital example
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London
- Teamwork example
- Cardiac surgeons studied auto-racing pit crews to improve transfers to intensive care
What people are saying
When adversity hits – and it will – your job isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to protect and replenish the shared belief that your team can find them together,
invisible glue
Sources
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