The work of senior leadership teams is decisive for the future of any organization.
At Indive, we spend much of our time supporting top management teams in shaping strategy, leading change, and building alignment across their organizations. In these journeys, we constantly explore frameworks and research that bring clarity to the complex dynamics at the top.
One of the most insightful perspectives we encountered comes from Ruth Wageman, a leading scholar in the field of team effectiveness. In her book, Senior Leader Teams: What It Takes to Make Them Great, Wageman identifies four distinct types of senior leadership teams – each serving a different function and adding value in unique ways.
Understanding these types of teams can help leaders reflect not only on how their executive team currently operates, but also on how it should operate in order to create the greatest impact for the business.
In the sections that follow, we describe the kinds of work these teams do and raise a question: which type of team would best meet the leadership needs of your organization?
Informational Teams
Purpose:
To exchange critical information among senior leaders, align perspectives, and make sure everyone is equally well briefed. These teams exist so leaders can hear directly from the CEO, share essential updates with one another, and gain a shared view of the organization and its environment. Their ultimate value is to help executives be better informed, better aligned, and more capable of performing their individual roles superbly.
👉 These teams are loosely interdependent; their strength lies in creating clarity and alignment.
Consultative Teams
Purpose:
To provide the CEO with counsel, perspectives, and robust debate before key decisions are made. Members act as a sounding board, offering information and judgment that improves the quality of choices at the top. At the same time, these teams also facilitate information-sharing among executives, ensuring that alignment goes beyond a one-way flow to the CEO. The real aim is to make the CEO better prepared, more confident, and more effective in leading the enterprise.
👉 These teams enrich decision-making without taking decision authority themselves.
Coordinating Teams
Purpose:
To manage the operational interdependencies of complex, strategically important initiatives. When functions that usually work independently need to move in sync — like logistics, marketing, sales, or government affairs — a coordinating team ensures collaboration, accountability, and shared execution. They exist to help leaders learn from each other, adapt together, and turn fragmented actions into integrated results.
👉 They require frequent, flexible collaboration and careful leadership design to be effective.
Decision-Making Teams
Purpose:
To take ownership of the small number of critical decisions that have the greatest impact on the organization’s future. Unlike advisory or consultative groups, these teams are granted explicit authority to decide, share accountability with the CEO, and commit to collective responsibility. Their purpose is to make decisions that are bold, consequential, and enterprise-shaping, ensuring clarity and alignment at the very top.
👉 The most complex and valuable type of team — when done well, they redefine how the enterprise is led.
Great top teams are never accidental — they are designed, developed, and supported with clarity of purpose, the right composition, and disciplined leadership practices. This is why we often partner with senior executives to reflect on these questions, strengthen their collaboration, and craft leadership teams that create lasting impact.
📧 If you’re leading a top team and want to explore how to elevate its effectiveness, we’d be glad to connect (drop us a line in the Contact section).
📖 Inspired by Ruth Wageman, “Senior Leader Teams: What It Takes to Make Them Great”.