Cover Image: Intangibles

Intangibles

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I found this to be an interesting read that looks at team success from a different perspective than how success is usually defined. Intangibles have often been one of the hardest things in sports to quantify but Ryan gives a foundation that helps dive deeper into the subject. I enjoyed Ryan's use of both quantitative and qualitative research to approach this topic. If you're even a little bit curious about the clubhouse factor and team chemistry, I would recommend giving this a read. Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing an ARC.

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As a San Francisco Giants fan, I have enjoyed reading Joan Ryan’s work for years, so I was particularly excited to get a copy of Intangibles from Little, Brown & Co and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

The subtitle is “unlocking the science and soul of team chemistry,” a concept which I find fascinating. Many years ago, when I lived in Southern California, I was a huge fan of the “Showtime” teams of the LA Lakers, and in the past ten years I have been fortunate to watch two of the Bay Area’s outstanding teams, the baseball Giants and the Warriors in the NBA. I always felt that these particular teams had that elusive quality, the mysterious factor that set them apart from other teams. SUPER chemistry! Ms. Ryan, an award-winning sportswriter and journalist, wanted to explore what the essence of “team chemistry” actually was – did it even exist? If so, was there a scientific basis for it?

Before I retired, I remember having a discussion with a colleague who was also a big Giants fan. In fact, we used to go off campus to a sports bar to watch day games in the amazing 2012 season. He was a big believer in numbers…even having a theory (about which he would go one and on at length) about how SLOs (student learning outcomes) were actually sabermetrics, and how it was possible to determine…well, you get the idea. I bought more than a few rounds of drinks trying to convince him that the essence of the team’s success relied way more on the character (also characters, hello, Hunter Pence and Brian Wilson) and chemistry of the team than the stats…to no avail.

But, about the book. It is packed with data and scientific information, plus interviews with experts in neuroscience, psychology, etc. But what made it a knockout for me was the huge number of stories about Giants I loved (Mike Krukow) and couldn’t stand (Barry Bonds) over the years.

The A’s are well represented along with the Giants and Warriors, so Bay Area sports fans in particular will love this book. Nice balance of information and entertainment. Five stars. Oh, and I will never be convinced that team chemistry isn’t real!!!

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More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/</p></i>Although it uses sports teams for most of its analyses since they are author Joan Ryan's work, this is clearly applicable to other areas such as businesses as well. Through careful research over decades, Ryan tries to define the elusive topic of 'chemisty' and why some teams play better than the sum of their parts while others do not.

Through her research, she identifies key elements that make teams synergize better: players who add wisdom, guidance, defuse tough situations, motivate, or just hold the team together. This is balanced against the negative assets: players who malinger (don't show up on time, miss practices, etc.) or who are toxic to the culture (through complaining, whining, wheezing, etc.). She isn't afraid to name names on either and often uses the San Francisco Giants baseball team players as examples since she worked closely with the org over several decades.

The key takeaways from the book are a) identifying the soft skills that players bring beside talent and b) quantifying/proving/disproving the concept of team chemistry. Both are nicely defined and analyzed and bring quite a bit of food for thought for those who work with any kind of team.

One aspect that wasn't covered that I would have liked to see is a discussion about the emergence of online esports and teams that have to find chemistry despite often never having met each other in person (and therefore never having had the chance to fraternize which is noted in the book as being so important to develop chemistry).

Because of the breadth of the topic covered, this is an excellent read for coaches and managers. The writing is very approachable and conversational, creating a pleasant read. Examples run from Olympic teams (US Women's Basketball) to corporate team building but the focus is very much on sports, specifically baseball. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

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"Team chemistry" is a trait that doesn't have a true scientific definition, yet is accepted as a necessary element in a championship team, no matter which sport. Journalist Joan Ryan decided to look into this trait further to see if there was some scientific truth behind "team chemistry" as well as share stories from players who are credited with elevating this trait.

While Ryan writes about several teams in the book, including the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Athletics, she dedicates most of the material to the San Francisco Giants, a team with who she has worked in the past eight years. For the scientific aspect, she interviews experts in areas such as neuroscience and psychology and their input lead credence to the thought that good team chemistry is necessary. However, like the players and managers interviewed, that is not a unanimous consensus and most likely never will be.

However, what makes this book fun to read are the stories by and about players who have been credited with affecting team chemistry whether positive or negative. Ryan has a label for most of these such as a "super-carrier" – Jonny Gomes, a utility player who found a way to help each of his teammates. There is the "super-disruptor" – Barry Bonds, and the story he shares with Ryan is worth the time to read no matter one's opinion on his behavior or legitimacy to the home run record. There is a chapter on Mike Krukow, a long time Giant player and broadcaster called "Humm-Baby". These are just a few examples of the extensive research Ryan put into the project and the finished product is a fun read.

At the end of the book, Ryan does answer two questions about measuring chemistry (can't be the same as sabermetrics) and what is the function. This review won't give that away, as it is recommended that all baseball fans pick up this book to find out the answers.

I wish to thank Little, Brown and company for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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