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Where the 23 team principles come from
The 23 team principles are WEGVISOR’s own compilation. It draws on two sources: John C. Maxwell’s book “The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork” (2001) and team research. Here we openly show where each principle comes from.
Two sources, one collection
The starting point was the 17 laws that John C. Maxwell described in “The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork” in 2001. We checked them against team research: What is backed by evidence, what holds only under certain conditions, what is missing?
The result: The 17 laws became 15 team principles – twice, we combined two laws into one principle. Eight principles were added from research because Maxwell has no law of his own for them: Size, Diversity, Attunement, Safety, Conflict, Dissent, Development, External Relationships.
The core statements are WEGVISOR’s own wording, not quotations from the book. Where research supports a core statement only in part, the principle page says so – with sources and limitations.
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork
John C. Maxwell · 2001The basis for 15 of the 23 team principles. Each principle page gives the original name of the law and what we have sharpened or added.
See the 23 team principlesteam research
Studies, meta-analyses, models8 team principles were added from team research. And for all 23, the section “What the research shows” lists the sources – and their limitations.
See the 23 team principlesWhere each principle comes from
All 23 team principles and their origins. The details are in the “Origin” section of each principle page.
| No. | Team principle | Origin | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Principle of Necessity | Maxwell The Law of Significance + The Law of Mount Everest | Purpose and Scope |
| 2 | Team Principle of Direction | Maxwell The Law of the Big Picture + The Law of the Compass | Purpose and Scope |
| 3 | Team Principle of Size | Research added from team research | Purpose and Scope |
| 4 | Team Principle of Position | Maxwell The Law of the Niche | Composition |
| 5 | Team Principle of Diversity | Research added from team research | Composition |
| 6 | Team Principle of the Weakest Link | Maxwell The Law of the Chain | Composition |
| 7 | Team Principle of the Catalyst | Maxwell The Law of the Catalyst | Composition |
| 8 | Team Principle of the Bad Apple | Maxwell The Law of the Bad Apple | Composition |
| 9 | Team Principle of the Bench | Maxwell The Law of the Bench | Composition |
| 10 | Team Principle of Communication | Maxwell The Law of Communication | Interplay |
| 11 | Team Principle of Attunement | Research added from team research | Interplay |
| 12 | Team Principle of Reliability | Maxwell The Law of Countability | Interplay |
| 13 | Team Principle of Safety | Research added from team research | Interplay |
| 14 | Team Principle of Conflict | Research added from team research | Interplay |
| 15 | Team Principle of Dissent | Research added from team research | Interplay |
| 16 | Team Principle of Effort | Maxwell The Law of the Price Tag | Drive |
| 17 | Team Principle of Identity | Maxwell The Law of Identity | Drive |
| 18 | Team Principle of Confidence | Maxwell The Law of High Morale | Drive |
| 19 | Team Principle of the Scoreboard | Maxwell The Law of the Scoreboard | Drive |
| 20 | Team Principle of Leadership | Maxwell The Law of the Edge | Leadership and Longevity |
| 21 | Team Principle of Development | Research added from team research | Leadership and Longevity |
| 22 | Team Principle of Investment | Maxwell The Law of Dividends | Leadership and Longevity |
| 23 | Team Principle of External Relationships | Research added from team research | Leadership and Longevity |
John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell has made leadership tangible for millions of people – as an author, speaker and coach, and for more than 30 years as a pastor. His books have sold more than 35 million copies. In “The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork” he describes 17 laws of teamwork.
Wherever a team principle goes back to his book, we cite it as the source – with gratitude. The explanations, examples and animations on this site are by WEGVISOR.
One of America’s major awards for people who have achieved extraordinary things through their own efforts and pave the way for others.
Awarded by the Luminary Leadership Network – for leadership that strengthens peace and humanity worldwide.
A title given by Business Insider and Inc. magazine.
Few people have written more about leadership. His books are published in 50 languages.
Team research
For decades, researchers have studied what makes teams effective. Three names you will come across on the principle pages:
Each principle page lists its sources with links, says how well the core statement is supported and names its limits. Real-world studies from organizations are included too – such as Google’s “Project Aristotle”, which studied 180 of its own teams.
Trained and certified
Titus LindlPartner at WEGVISOR, coach and trainer for leadersFounding Partner · John Maxwell Team
Sebastian Daniel SchickPartner at WEGVISOR, coach and trainer for leadersICF · Master Certified CoachTitus Lindl is a Founding Partner of the John Maxwell Team and was trained by John C. Maxwell. Sebastian Daniel Schick is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). What they have both learned feeds into WEGVISOR’s work – in coaching, training and the WEGVISOR Leadership Group.
92 examples from the 7 spheres of society
The examples show every team principle in real life – spread across all seven spheres that shape a society:
There is also an animation for every team principle, plus the Team Check, which shows you where your team stands.