66% of Managers Agree – Who's on Your Team Matters More Than Strategy

Key Survey Insights

In today's uncertain economic landscape, small businesses face unprecedented challenges in building and maintaining strong teams. As businesses navigate tariffs, market uncertainties, and evolving workplace dynamics, the ability to assemble resilient teams has become more critical than ever.

The Harris Poll survey of nearly 1,000 adults in managerial roles (professional, personal, or volunteer) revealed…

1. Building a Winning Team: Two-thirds of those in managerial roles say team composition outweighs strategy in determining success, yet around a quarter do not give their process for selecting new team members a positive rating.

2. Small Business Team Dynamics: Managers at small companies (<100 employees) face unique talent integration challenges, with 50% citing building trust and relationships as their primary hurdle when bringing on new team members (compared to 37% at larger companies).

3. Leadership Growth Opportunity: While a majority of those in managerial roles (79%) rate their own managerial skills as excellent/good, nearly three-quarters (72%) wish for more training to improve their managerial and supervisory skills.

Building a Winning Team:

Our survey reveals a fundamental truth about business success: who you have on your team matters more than the plans you make. Two-thirds of those in any managerial role (66%) believe that team composition is more important than team strategy in determining success. This insight is equally prevalent among business owners in managerial roles, with 66% expressing the same sentiment.

The critical gap between team satisfaction and selection processes

While 80% of those in managerial roles rate their current team composition as excellent or good, fewer (74%) express the same confidence in their process for selecting new team members. This gap highlights a critical vulnerability in how teams get built. The remaining quarter of managers (26%) describe their selection process as only poor or fair—suggesting that even successful teams recognize the need for more effective approaches to talent acquisition.

Culture outweighs raw talent in team success

When it comes to what truly drives team performance, the human element prevails. Nearly two-thirds of those in managerial roles (65%) believe that team culture is more important than team talent. This may explain why the most important qualities in identifying high-impact team members focus on attitude and approach rather than just skills: being a hard worker (33%), having a positive attitude (27%), and being respectful (24%) rank above being skilled (23%).

This cultural priority is particularly pronounced in small businesses, where managers place even greater emphasis on work ethic—43% of small company managers (<100 employees) prioritize being a hard worker compared to only 29% at larger companies. This cultural emphasis represents a distinct competitive advantage for small businesses that can create positive, supportive work environments.

Small Business Struggles:

The data indicates that small businesses encounter different team-building circumstances. Managers at companies with fewer than 100 employees are more likely to rate their selection process as poor or fair compared to those at larger companies (32% vs. 18%), suggesting an opportunity for small businesses to develop more formalized and effective hiring practices.

Trust and relationships: The primary integration hurdle

The survey reveals an important reality about team development: half of managers (53%)—including a similar proportion of business owners (52%)—report that it takes at least 6 months for a new team member to start fully contributing to the team, with building trust and relationships (39%) rising to the top as the most commonly experienced challenge with integrating new team members. For small businesses, where each team member represents a larger portion of the company's total capacity, setting realistic expectations for this integration period can help reduce frustration and create more supportive onboarding experiences.

The multifaceted nature of team integration

Beyond trust-building, managers identified several other significant challenges of integrating new team members: addressing knowledge/skills gaps (33%), the time required to get new members up to speed (29%), communication barriers (22%), utilizing skills effectively (21%), unclear roles and expectations (21%), and technology challenges (21%). By recognizing these various dimensions, small business leaders can create more comprehensive and effective onboarding processes.

Additional Management Training Needed:

The survey uncovered an encouraging finding: while 79% of those in managerial roles rate their managerial skills as excellent or good, nearly three-quarters (72%) wish for more training to improve these same skills. This growth mindset represents a significant advantage in today's rapidly changing business environment, where continuous learning and adaptation are essential for success.

Learning from sports: Effective leadership approaches

Over half of those in managerial roles (55%) report looking to sports coaching techniques to inform their management style—and this approach appears to pay dividends. Those who incorporate sports coaching methods show a greater tendency to rate various aspects of their team as "excellent" compared to those who don't. 

• Their own managerial skills (34% among those who incorporate sports coaching vs. 22% who do not);

• Their team’s strategy for achieving goals/success (32% vs. 23%);

• The current composition of their team (33%, 26%);

• Their process for selecting new members of your team (26%, 22%)

Small business leaders can benefit from adopting these coaching-oriented approaches, which often emphasize clear communication, specific feedback, and team cohesion.

The positive power of change

Despite the challenges of integrating new team members, 56% of those in managerial roles believe that disruption is necessary for a team to improve. This recognition of the value of change points to the resilience and adaptability that characterize successful teams and their leaders. Small businesses, with their typically more agile structures, can leverage this openness to change as a competitive advantage.

Research Method

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Justworks from April 24-28, 2025, among 2,083 adults ages 18 and older. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].