No, we are not talking weather here. We are talking about the interpersonal atmosphere of the team. It's an important element of successful teamwork because we know that people do their best work in an informal and relaxed environment. In fact, some psychological studies indicate that friendly gestures such as verbal compliments or small, fun gifts such as candy can increase creativity and effective problem-solving.

On the other hand, when the climate is formal and tense:

   Problem-solving will be rigid.

   Decisions will be unnecessarily conservative

   Creativity will be “inside the box.”

   New product and service development will be extensions of last year's models.

   Risk-taking will be nonexistent.

   Conflicts will be resolved by “sweeping them under the rug.”