Martin Ahlström

Martin Ahlström brings a cross-domain perspective on teams shaped by service as a Swedish soldier and years working with product and technology teams in business. He specializes in team effectiveness with a focus on structural design over process intervention, drawing on research by J. Richard Hackman.

What the Military Taught Me About Teams: Design First. Coach Second.

Most teams underperform and most organizations respond the same way: coach harder. But what if the problem isn't coaching? What if the team was never designed to succeed in the first place?

Drawing on experience as a Swedish soldier and a team effectiveness practitioner in business, this talk reveals the design principles military squads get right and most organizations skip entirely. You'll walk away with a practical lens for diagnosing whether your teams need better coaching or better conditions.