What Formation Are You Playing? Why Shared Structure is the Unsung Hero of High-Performing Teams
Dec 16, 2025Imagine walking into a UK pub and asking, “What’s a 4-4-2 formation?”
You’d instantly get an answer, and probably a confident one. You’d also spark a debate. Some would champion a 4-3-3. Others would argue it depends on the opposition. But almost everyone would understand the question’s context. They share a formation framework.
Now, try this in a business organisation.
Ask a group of senior leaders: “What formation are you playing to?”
The response would likely be a profound silence, or a scattering of wildly different answers. Why? Because in most organisations, there is no shared formation.
The Simplicity of a Shared Formation
For us, that formation represents something fundamentally simple: a shared, clear understanding of what a high-performing team genuinely looks like here.
It’s more than just a mission statement; it is:
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A clearly defined definition of success—thought through so well it is simple and repeatable.
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A clear focus on the non-negotiable importance of Trust and Communication.
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A mutual understanding of the necessity for alignment and accountability.
Instead, the reality is that most leaders are playing to their own formation—a structure shaped by individual experience, personal preferences, and habit.
And this is precisely where the greatest opportunity for improvement is missed.
Beyond the Scoreboard
If you are not playing to a clear, agreed-upon structure, how do you manage anything beyond the raw numbers?
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How do you evaluate performance beyond the end-result?
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How do you genuinely learn why something worked (or failed)?
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How do you get more efficient next time?
In organisations, there is no 'final whistle'. The unspoken instruction simply becomes: “Go and score.” In other words: Hit the numbers. Deliver the targets. Achieve the outcome.
The focus shifts entirely to goals scored—not how they were scored. Without a shared formation, learning is left entirely to chance.
The Unspoken Assumption
This need for a shared structure is one of the most basic elements of leadership and yet, ironically, one of the least taught.
There is an unspoken assumption in business: If you’re already in the game, and can score enough goals, you must inherently know how to play it.
But in sport, the best players in the world still train the basics. They still review structure. They still refine their formation every single week.
High-performing teams do not just know what they are trying to achieve.
Crucially, they know:
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The shape they are playing in.
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The roles they are each expected to hold.
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How they will review and adapt it together.
That is what is truly missing in so many organisations.
Not ambition. Not talent. Not effort.
What’s missing is an openly shared and committed understanding of the fundamental structure that makes a high-performing team.
Would you like to explore how EdgeEQ can help your senior leadership define and commit to a shared formation?
Looking to shift how your team shows up?
Check out Elephant in the Room ā€” our signature training programme for teams ready to build trust, speak honestly, and perform at a higher level.
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