‘A marvel of insight and practicality’ Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

What do Pixar, Google and the San Antonio Spurs basketball team have in common?

The answer is that they all owe their extraordinary success to their team-building skills. In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, goes inside some of the most effective organisations in the world and reveals their secrets. He not only explains what makes such groups tick, but also identifies the key factors that can generate team cohesion in any walk of life. He examines the verbal and physical cues that bring people together. He determines specific strategies that encourage collaboration and build trust. And he offers cautionary tales of toxic cultures and advises how to reform them, above all demonstrating the extraordinary achievements that result when we know how to cooperate effectively.

Combining cutting-edge science, on-the-ground insight and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code is a ground-breaking exploration of how the best groups operate that will change the way we think and work together.

‘Truly brilliant . . . Read it immediately’ Adam Grant, author of Originals

Table of Contents

Skill 1 · Build Safety

Chapter 1: The Good Apples

Chapter 2: The Billion-Dollar Day When Nothing Happened

Chapter 3: The Christmas Truce, the One-Hour Experiment, and the Missileers

Chapter 4: How to Build Belonging

Chapter 5: How to Design for Belonging

Chapter 6: Ideas for Action

Skill 2 · Share Vulnerability

Chapter 7: “Tell Me What You Want, and I’ll Help You”

Chapter 8: The Vulnerability Loop

Chapter 9: The Super-Cooperators

Chapter 10: How to Create Cooperation in Small Groups

Chapter 11: How to Create Cooperation with Individuals

Chapter 12: Ideas for Action

Skill 3 · Establish Purpose

Chapter 13: Three Hundred and Eleven Words

Chapter 14: The Hooligans and the Surgeons

Chapter 15: How to Lead for Proficiency

Chapter 16: How to Lead for Creativity

Chapter 17: Ideas for Action

Review

A relevant mix of solid academic research along with practical advice and not-quite-usual . . . anecdotes from the trenches. -- Max Levichin, co-founder of Paypal, Books of the Year ― Bloomberg

I’ve been waiting years for someone to write this book – I’ve built it up in my mind into something extraordinary. But it is even better than I imagined. Daniel Coyle has produced a truly brilliant, mesmerising read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water. Read it immediately. -- Adam Grant, author of Originals

The Culture Code is the perfect leadership manifesto for entrepreneurial startups, established enterprises and all manner of businesses in between. ― Business Insider

If you want to understand how successful groups work – the signals they transmit, the language they speak, the cues that foster creativity – you won’t find a more essential guide than The Culture Code. This is a marvel of insight and practicality. -- Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

It’s great . . . Dan went inside incredibly successful organisations like Pixar, the San Antonio Spurs, and SEAL Team Six to uncover how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. ― Inc.

Coyle’s book examines how successful groups of people – from the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six to the San Antonio Spurs – work together so well . . . Promises to “demystify” the murky topic of organisational culture by examining the key skills that prompt group cooperation. -- Leadership Books to Read in 2018 ― Washington Post

The Culture Code is a step-by-step guidebook to building teams that are not just more effective, but happier. Whether you lead a team or are a team member, this book is a must-read. -- Laszlo Bock, former SVP of People at Google and author of Work Rules!

There are profound ideas on every single page, stories that will change the way you work, the way you lead, and the impact you have on the world. Highly recommended, an urgent read. -- Seth Godin, author of Linchpin

Shares the simple changes you can make to work better with others . . . Coyle spent four years researching military units, professional basketball teams, comedy troupes and even a gang of jewel thieves to better understand how groups thrive, along with what doesn’t work. ― Entrepreneur

Pop science meets a business pep talk in a useful primer on building better organisations . . . Useful throughout. ― Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Daniel Coyle is the Sunday Times bestselling author of several books, including The Culture Code, The Talent Code, The Little Book of Talent and Lance Armstrong: Tour de Force. He lives with his wife and four children in Homer, Alaska, and Cleveland Heights, Ohio.