Team of Teams: A New Leadership and Organizational Model for the Impact Era
In Engine of Impact, Bill Meehan and Kim Jonker offer this variation on an oft-quoted management bromide: “You are only as good as our people … and how you organize and lead them.” Social sector organizations today, the authors argue, must redouble their commitment not only to finding and retaining great people, but also to deploying them in ways that meet the dynamic needs of the Impact Era. An essential tool for doing so is an emerging model called “team of teams.”
In a new article for Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), Meehan and Jonker explore the team-of-teams model at length and present a short case study of how Pratham, an education nonprofit in India, has adapted the model to conduct an ambitious, nationwide survey of children’s learning outcomes.
READ THE SSIR ARTICLE >
In addition, for their column on leadership for Forbes, Meehan and Jonker have written a piece that summarizes the team-of-teams model and explains why it is becoming highly relevant to leaders in every sector. The model is as beneficial to individual employees as to the organizations that implement it. “[T]here are so many more opportunities for people’s career paths than were possible previously,” according Bill Drayton, who has pioneered the model at his organization, Ashoka.
READ THE FORBES ARTICLE >
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Meehan and Jonker at 92Y in New York City
Next month, Bill Meehan and Kim Jonker will speak at the legendary 92nd Street Y (known as 92Y)—the organization that launched the #GivingTuesday movement. The event will occur on Thursday, June 28, at 7 p.m. at the 92Y facility in New York City. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
Drawing on their work in Engine of Impact, Meehan and Jonker will deliver actionable guidance that nonprofit executives, board members, staff members, and donors can use to jumpstart their own performance and to achieve extraordinary results for their organization.
Kathy Spahn, CEO of the award winning nonprofit Helen Keller International, will interview the authors, and Maya DiRado—a four-time Olympic medalist in swimming—will introduce Meehan, Jonker, and Spahn. In her remarks, DiRado will describe how Engine of Impact has inspired and equipped her to increase her own impact in the social sector.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVENT >
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Strategy + Generosity = Impact in Africa
Watch a new video discussion from the 2018 Global Philanthropy Forum about strategy as applied to philanthropy in Africa, moderated by Kim Jonker, co-author of Engine of Impact, with panelists Dikembe Mutombo, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a prominent humanitarian, and Valerie Dabady, an international development professional who leads partnerships at the African Development Bank.
Among many other topics, the panelists discussed the importance of developing tightly focused strategies—for both philanthropists and nonprofit leaders—as a way to achieve more impact. They also discussed building an ecosystem and the importance of collaboration in such efforts. Mutombo, a former NBA player, emphasized that “philanthropy is a team sport” and underscored that collaboration is essential to formulating and executing the right strategy. “Anything you want to do in life, you have to understand you need to work as a team,” he said.
WATCH THE VIDEO >.
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"The beauty of team of teams is that it works within a network, outside a network, and across a network."
— Bill Meehan and Kim Jonker, "Learning to Live in a Team-of-Teams World"
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