ABSTRACT
The thousands of descriptions of dream teams combined with the interviews the author's conducted with the real dream team leaders revealed countless good ideas about how to create and maintain real dream teams. In an effort to organize the author's thinking, they have identified the common themes that exist throughout the ideas. These themes, or common threads, have resulted in the identification of seven categories of common practices of real dream teams. Real dream team members encourage and support each other at levels that create the freedom which allows people to give their best effort with no fear that their own teammates will become the enemy. A wide range of diverse skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes are required for team success. A respect for and acceptance of the need for diversity, accompanied by the ability to clearly define “who does what,” creates the magic or synergy of everyone working together.
