In a London recording studio, Paul strummed his guitar, George yawned, Ringo looked on listlessly, and John arrived late as usual. Suddenly, the magic appeared. The melody begins to take shape, George's guitar joins in, and Ringo hits a beat. By the time John arrives, the Beatles' next single, "Get Back," is pretty much familiar, giving you goose bumps.
The documentary "Coming Home" follows the Beatles as they write and record songs for their new album together in January 1969. Executives should watch it, too. A staple of management research is what makes a team play well together, and this Beatles documentary provides a rare glimpse into how a truly world-class team works.
Take the character ringo. When the band's drummer isn't playing, he spends most of his time either sleeping. A casual observer might think he was dispensable. But from a musical point of view, nothing could be done without him; As a team member, he mitigated conflicts and healed divisions.
Psychological makeup is important for a team to work well together. Academics at Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that group performance was not related to the average intelligence of its members, but to other traits, such as sensitivity and whether everyone was given a chance to speak. Ringo provided support, and without him, the band's cohesion would have weakened.
The film also reinforces another principle: look around for inspiration. A McKinsey study asked more than 5,000 executives to describe the environment in which their best experience as part of a team took place. One of them is the importance of the habit of "renewal" -- avoiding rigidity by taking risks, learning from others and innovating.
"Coming Home" shows how a team of superstars actively put that idea into practice: they play other bands' songs, capture ideas without looking for a beat, and are open to suggestions and help from outsiders. It wasn't until pianist Billy Preston joined in that the recording really took off.
Another message is about how to let nature take its course. In a 2016 project called Project Aristotle, Google tried to identify the characteristics of its most productive teams. One of its findings was that work goals should be "specific, challenging and achievable."
When the band met for the first time on Jan. 2, 1969, it was given the task of writing an entire album of new songs in a matter of days and performing them on a television special. But how to do that is largely up to them. This approach doesn't always work. At one point, Mr. Paul yearned for a 'dad central figure' who could tell them directly what to do with their schedule. But the combination of deadlines and autonomy produced remarkable results.
There are limits to how much you can learn from Coming Home. The Beatles didn't always support each other -- George felt slighted by John and Paul and briefly quit the band. While technical ability is not the only determinant of success, pure talent is useful. Any band with the likes of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison would be better.
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