Why Program Teams Should Start with the Strength Deployment Inventory

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When a new program team comes together, it’s usually made up of specialists from very different worlds: project managers, business stakeholders, solution architects, process analysts and change managers. Everyone brings deep expertise, but that diversity also makes collaboration harder than it looks.

The cost of leaving it to chance

Companies invest millions—sometimes billions—into large programs. Yet when teams become dysfunctional, the costs mount quickly: missed milestones, elongated timelines, staff turnover, and in some cases outright failure. I’ve seen programs where turnover reached 40%, not because people lacked skill, but because the environment became too difficult to navigate.

Setting up a high-performing team quickly isn’t just nice to have—it’s a safeguard. A small investment in team development up front can save months of frustration and deliver a return far greater than the cost.

Why relationships matter under pressure

Program teams are artificial environments. People are pulled together from different industries and subject matter areas, often without a shared history, and told to deliver. Under pressure, misunderstandings multiply. Harvard Business Review notes that lack of psychological safety is one of the biggest reasons teams underperform (HBR).

How SDI reduces risk

This is where the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) helps. It doesn’t just describe behaviour—it shows what motivates people when things are going well, and how those motivations shift when stress creeps in. That insight gives program teams a common language to talk about conflict before it becomes destructive.

I’ve seen teams spend weeks in circular debate simply because they didn’t understand what was driving each person’s point of view. McKinsey research shows that high-performing teams work intentionally on how they relate to one another, especially under pressure (McKinsey). Tools like SDI give teams a practical way to do exactly that.

A smart investment in delivery

Think about it this way: if you’re running a large program, the cost of missed deadlines or rising turnover far outweighs the cost of equipping your team to work well together. Forbes has noted that teams investing early in relationship building see higher engagement and fewer derailments (Forbes). In my experience, a small investment in SDI workshops at the start is one of the smartest ways to de-risk delivery and set your program up for success.