There is a good deal of support for the belief that a positive climate—an atmosphere where team members are relaxed and feel free to speak up—leads to more effective teamwork. Our personal experience tells us that good things happen when the environment on the team is warm and supportive. In addition, there are numerous studies of team climate that provide empirical evidence that there is a positive relationship between team member's satisfaction with the climate on the team and various outcomes such as product quality, creativity, customer satisfaction and overall innovation.

It is fair to conclude that a supportive environment on the team leads to:

   An encouragement of reasonable risk-taking.

   Increased productivity, because team members are motivated to work hard and do their best.