Successful teams complete their tasks, maintain good social relations among its members, and promote members’ personal and professional development. Based on an extensive review and analysis of group development literature as well as the authors’ more than 60 years of building teams, we identified eight key characteristics of successful groups, namely, (a) clear and meaningful goals; (b) explicit positive norms; (c) strong interpersonal and communication skills; (d) competence and commitment around solving problems and performing tasks; (e) trust, openness, and group cohesiveness; (f) ability to manage conflict; (g) shared leadership; and (h) continuous individual and team learning and improvement. Following a brief synopsis of the group and action learning literature, we describe ways in which action learning groups incorporate these eight characteristics. We conclude with best practices and case examples to illustrate how action learning builds and sustains high-performing teams.
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