12 Tips for Creating Two-Pizza Teams

  Talent Management   Teams   ProjectsAtWork  

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos calls it the “Two-Pizza Rule” — a team should be no larger than can be fed by two pizzas. In today’s fast-evolving business climate, two-pizza teams can be your organization’s best strategy for success (see “Why Small Teams Win”). But how do you go about selecting and nurturing team members for maximum efficiency? Here are 12 tips for creating and nurturing efficient two-pizza teams:

1. Work your way to the smallest number, then subtract one. This advice has been borne out by numerous business leaders. The “minus one” philosophy forces the remaining team members to be creative. That’s where you start. Lean and hungry. Fewer than a dozen if you can manage. You can always add later. 

2. Go with your gut — even when someone isn’t the “obvious” choice. In 1989, FedEx knew that it needed to update its old, slow technology. Its unconventional strategy was to ask Judy Estrin, a young Silicon Valley technologist, to join its board. At 36, with no experience as a CEO or on a large company board, Estrin wasn’t an obvious choice. But she was, as FedEx CEO Fred Smith noted, “blindingly bright.” The point? Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb if you believe an “unconventional” choice would be best for your team. Who is your Judy …

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