Vibe

Why Great Teams Don’t Need to Like Each Other

HBR IdeaCast, 13 October 2026. The author is the guest. The book comes up at 2 min 13 sec in.

Adam Grant, organizational psychologist at Wharton, is interviewed by host Adi Ignatius about his new book. He explains that people need four types of connections—associates, allies, pals, and companions—and argues strong teams require shared purpose and productive disagreement rather than friendship. He covers pre-boarding practices, the value of choreographed gatherings over spontaneous collisions, and how leaders can channel differences toward a higher purpose.

Listen to this episode ↗︎