The Tiger Team Trap: Why Special Teams Aren’t the Answer (and What to Do Instead)

Have you ever been in a situation where your organization suddenly faces an urgent, high-priority task? If so, you’ve probably heard someone suggest forming a “Tiger Team” to tackle it. It sounds great in theory, right? “A special team of top performers laser-focused on solving the big problem.” But here’s the thing – Tiger Teams often create more problems than they solve. Let’s dive into why this approach can be problematic and explore better alternatives.

The Tiger Team Illusion

First, let’s break down what a Tiger Team typically is. It’s usually defined as a special team set up to handle a critical, urgent issue that’s emerged. The idea is to bring together the best and brightest to focus exclusively on this one big problem.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? But here’s where things start to go sideways.

A Real-World Example

Let me share a recent experience I had with a client. Their IT department had four Scrum teams working on various projects across different systems. When a critical issue emerged, they created a special team instead of prioritizing it within their existing structure. They pulled a few people from each Scrum team to form this new “special team,”

The result? The new team crushed it. They completed the task faster than anyone expected. Everyone was thrilled… until they weren’t.

Soon, I heard comments like, “I wish our other teams were as good as this one.” But here’s what they were missing: the Tiger Team wasn’t playing by the same rules as everyone else.

The Special Treatment Paradox

Think about it for a second. What made the Tiger Team successful?

• They had a clear, singular focus.
• They weren’t interrupted or distracted.
• They knew exactly what they needed to do.
• They had special privileges and support.

Now, imagine if we gave these same conditions to all our teams. Wouldn’t they perform just as well, if not better? (PS. This is what Scrum is actually supposed to be doing.)

The Tiger Team trap is that it creates an illusion of superior performance without addressing the underlying issues. We celebrate these “hero” teams without realizing that we’re setting up our regular teams for failure by constantly breaking their focus, distracting them, and not giving them clear priorities.

The Hidden Costs of Tiger Teams

While Tiger Teams might seem effective in the short term, they often come with hidden costs:

1. Disruption to existing teams: When you pull “top performers” from various teams to form a Tiger Team, you’re leaving holes in those original teams. This can slow down ongoing work and demoralize remaining team members. Additionally, there are a lot of issues with how the “top performers” are selected and who selects them, which creates a whole other set of problems.
2. Creation of a two-tier system: Tiger Teams always get special treatment, resources, and recognition. This can (and does in every situation I’ve experienced or heard about) lead to resentment and a sense of “us vs. them” within the organization.
3. Burnout risk: Members of Tiger Teams often work under intense pressure and long hours, which can lead to burnout if this approach is used frequently.
4. Knowledge silos: When a Tiger Team disbands, the knowledge and experience gained during the project may not be effectively shared with the rest of the organization and team members who were not on the Tiger Team, which continues the cycle.
5. Reinforcement of poor leadership and planning: Relying on Tiger Teams is a crutch, allowing organizations to avoid addressing underlying issues in their leadership, work management, and prioritization processes.

Have you run across these costs at your organization?

A Better Approach: Focus and Priority for All

So, what’s the alternative? It’s simpler than you might think, but it requires discipline and commitment from leadership. Here’s what you can do:

1. Prioritize ruthlessly: Identify your top priorities and communicate them clearly. This means saying “no” to good ideas that aren’t great. It’s about making tough choices and sticking to them.
2. Adjust current priorities: Move the work to the top of the priority list for an existing team and help them deliver it! You are doing this anyway by creating a new team and adding people to it. If you don’t believe you have a ready and capable team, ask why their leaders and managers have not sufficiently prepared them.
3. Focus relentlessly: Let teams concentrate on these priorities without constant interruptions. This might mean protecting your teams from ad-hoc requests or unnecessary meetings. Give them the space to do deep, focused work.
4. Support consistently: Give all your people and teams the resources and backing they need to succeed. This includes clear objectives, necessary tools, and removal of obstacles.
5. Communicate effectively: Ensure that everyone in the organization understands the priorities and why they matter. Regular updates and transparent decision-making can help maintain alignment.
6. Trust your teams: If you’ve hired good people (everyone says they do), trust them to deliver. Give them autonomy within the framework of clear priorities and objectives.
7. Celebrate all wins: Don’t recognize the “hero” moments! Celebrate the consistent, day-to-day achievements of all your teams.

Implementing These Changes

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Jake, this all sounds great, but how do we actually make this happen?” Fair question. Here are some practical steps:

1. Start with a priority audit: Look at all the work currently in progress across your teams. Be honest about what can actually get done (regardless of if everyone thinks it should).
2. Implement a robust prioritization process: There are many techniques out there. But often, they are not sufficient as is. For example, consider the MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have). You might use that, but once you are done, you often have too many (or too big) Must or Should haves. I suggest going through the entire process again, except only with the Must and Should have’s. Then, get input from people outside the group in the room. Then (not done yet), rank the items from 1 to n (100? 200?). Remember. . . Robust.
3. Train everyone: Leaders, managers, and team members need to understand the importance of focus and create protocols for reacting and protecting teams from distractions.
4. Review and adjust regularly: Priorities change. Set up regular review periods that work for your organization to reassess and realign if necessary.
5. Measure the right things: Don’t just look at output; measure outcomes. Are you delivering value to your customers or stakeholders? This means you must start structuring work so that you can deliver it incrementally and look at the value. Waiting months or years to get the value is rarely effective in today’s world.

The Exceptional Exception

I’m not saying there’s never a place for a Special Pop-up Team. They might be appropriate in truly exceptional circumstances—think major crises or once-in-a-decade opportunities. But if you find yourself regularly relying on Special Pop-up Teams, it’s time to step back and look at your overall approach to work management and team leadership.

The bottom line? You don’t need Fancy Tiger Teams as a ‘go-to.’ You need clear priorities, the ability to pivot, focused teams, and consistent support. Allow all your teams to be “special.” You might be surprised at how much they can achieve.

Remember, the goal isn’t to work faster or harder. It’s to work smarter by focusing on what truly matters. Doing this will improve your team’s performance and create a more satisfying and sustainable work environment for everyone.

What are your thoughts on these types of Special Pop-Up-Team (e.g., Tiger Teams)? Have you had experiences with them in your organization? How do you maintain focus and priorities in your work? I’d love to hear your perspectives in the comments below.