Ever sat in a functional team meeting thinking, “Why do we keep talking like this?” What if those awkward conversations and recurring patterns weren’t just quirks—but clues? Clues to the strategic tensions, the complexity of business partnering, and the invisible forces shaping how team members show up.

In this podcast, Petros Oratis and Warden Hoffman—seasoned insiders, researchers, and consultants to functional teams—bring humor and heart to a revealing exploration of functional team dynamics. They introduce six vivid "archetypes" that show up again and again in functional teams across industries:

🏆 Best Business Contest – Competitive energy disguised as collaboration

😢 Detox Retreat – Emotional processing without resolution

⚔️ Holy Warriors – Mission-driven clashes over values

📣 Grievance Union – Collective venting with no clear path forward

🐝 Show-Off Beehive – Buzzing brilliance with little cohesion

🍰 High-Tea Gathering – Polite avoidance of deeper tensions

These aren’t dysfunctions to fix—they’re reflections of a team’s values and strengths that, in the moment, may be in conflict or struggling to surface. By recognizing these patterns, we can shift the team’s awareness and spark the right conversations that meet its true needs.

What if in the moment we could shift the team's consciousness and hold the right dialogue that addresses the actual needs of the team?

💡 What dynamics have you seen in your own team? Tune in, reflect, and join the dialogue.

The Lateral Space website: http://www.thelateralspace.com

Petros Oratis bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrosoratis/

Warden Hoffman bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warden-hoffman-72b5801/

"What just happened? Was this a coincidence or a sign from somewhere?" What happens to us, when experiencing something that prompt such questions in us? How do we process so-called mystical or uncanny experiences, which logic can't help navigating? And if organizations thrive on navigating challenges and dilemmas through logic and facts, could suspending fact-based thinking result into effective leadership?

Dr Noel McQuaid fascinated by these aspects of life, researched how senior leaders navigate experiences that their logic couldn't explain. He found that suspending logical thinking and not dismissing too early such experiences could actually result into effective and courageous decision-making, which otherwise wouldn't be possible or at as accessible. He shares his fascinating insights and ideas on a topic that we may rarely think of or make space for.

Dr Noel McQuaid bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-noel-mcquaid-180749112/

The Lateral Space: https://www.thelateralspace.com/

What does it take to collaborating in today's organizational complexity? There are two major shifts, which are the two sides of the same coin: 1. our interdependencies are heightened more than ever, and 2. we are expected to operate with autonomy, to be self-steering.

This mean that to be an effective leader today you need to actively manage your ability to operate autonomously AND to thrive through the interdependencies with other leaders. Easier said than done!

In this podcast episode Warden Hoffman and Petros Oratis explore the tension that most leaders and teams experience in this paradigm:

• Autonomy vs. Interdependency: we uncover the intriguing paradox of balancing your personal drive with the power of teamwork
• Psychological Dimensions: we explore the psychological orientation towards dependency and autonomy, by delving into how our early experiences shape our views on working independently and collaboratively
• Avoidance Routines: we bring language that helps spotting the sneaky team habits that can sabotage interdependent efforts and learn how to tackle them
• Practical Steps: we demystify some principles of collaboration in ways that allow us to set clear collaborative tasks, having open conversations about the cost of collaboration, and manage the conflicts between individual and collective ambitions

The Lateral Dialgoues podcast: The Lateral Dialogues | a podcast by The Lateral Space

The Lateral Space website: The Lateral Space

Warden Hoffman bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warden-hoffman-72b5801/

Petros Oratis bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrosoratis/