How Great Teams Leverage Tension as a Source of Innovation: Daniel Coyle (Replay)

About this episode

Daniel Coyle discusses how teams can leverage tension as a source of innovation and learning.

Tension on your team isn’t always a problem to solve. In fact, it’s often a signal you’re doing meaningful work. In this replay episode, bestselling author Daniel Coyle ( The Culture Code ) shares how the most successful teams channel friction into forward motion, instead of avoiding it. Drawing on research and real-world examples from places like Pixar, the Navy SEALs, and professional sports, Daniel breaks down how tension can become a powerful source of energy, learning, and innovation. In this conversation, you’ll learn: Why conflict and disagreement are essential for high-performing teams The key moments that shape team culture early on How vulnerability builds trust (and why leaders need to go first) A simple framework for turning tension into productive experimentation How storytelling helps reinforce and scale strong team behaviors This episode offers practical ways to rethink how your team approaches friction. If this topic resonates, explore more episodes on healthy friction and creative tension with guests like Ben Swire, Mike Peng, Heather Currier Hunt, Takashi Wickes, and Bob Sutton. Related resources: The Culture Code, by Daniel Coyle…

People in this episode

Guest: Daniel Coyle

Topics covered

• team dynamics
• innovation
• conflict resolution
• team culture
• leadership
• vulnerability

Keywords

• tension
• innovation
• team performance
• conflict
• trust
• storytelling
• experimentation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IDEO U, Pixar, Navy SEALs, IDEO

Books & works: The Culture Code

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