Those Who Don't Build Must Burn
The Hidden Cost of Team Saboteurs
"Those who don't build must burn." - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
I don't think I've ever encountered a truer statement about human nature. This quote has been rattling around in my head because it captures something fundamental about how we show up in the world. It's true in business, true in relationships, and devastatingly true when it comes to teams.
When it comes to teamwork, there's one critical aspect we mostly understand but rarely plan for: the profound impact we all have on one another.
If you have a team of builders, they build together, creating something greater than the sum of their parts. But if you have even one person who prefers to burn rather than build... they will drag everyone down around them.
The Science of Team Sabotage
In "The Culture Code," Daniel Coyle describes a fascinating experiment by Will Felps, who studies organizational behavior at the University of South Wales in Australia. Felps gathered 40 four-person groups to perform a task, then hired an actor named Nick to work inside those groups while portraying three negative archetypes: the Jerk (an aggressive, defiant deviant), the Slacker (a withholder of effort), and the Downer (a depressive Eeyore type).
Nick's mission was simple: sabotage the group's performance. In effect, Felps injected him into the various groups the way a biologist might inject a virus into a body—to see how the system responds.
The results were striking. In almost every group, Nick's behavior reduced the quality of the group's performance by 30 to 40 percent. The drop-off was consistent whether he played the Jerk, the Slacker, or the Downer.
Think about that. One person—just one—could single-handedly tank team performance by nearly half.
Even more concerning was how the negativity spread like a contagion. When Nick played the Downer, "everybody comes into the meeting really energized. He acts quiet and tired and at some point puts his head down on his desk," Felps says. "And then as the time goes by, they all start to behave that way, tired and quiet and low energy. By the end, there are three others with their heads down on their desks like him, all with their arms folded."
Those who don't build must burn. And apparently, they're quite good at recruiting others to join them.
The Antidote: Building Psychological Safety
But here's where the story gets interesting. Out of 40 groups, one didn't succumb to Nick's toxic influence. What made the difference?
Jonathan, a team member who "reacted instantly with warmth, deflecting the negativity and making a potentially unstable situation feel solid and safe. Then Jonathan pivoted and asked a simple question that drew the others out, and he listened intently and responds. Energy levels increased; people opened up and shared ideas, they cooperated beautifully."
Jonathan didn't fight fire with fire. He didn't try to overpower the negativity with authority or aggression. Instead, he created something more powerful: psychological safety.
"Basically, [Jonathan] makes it safe, then turns to the other people and asks, 'Hey, what do you think of this?'" Felps said. "Most of all he radiates an idea that is something like, Hey, this is all really comfortable and engaging, and I'm curious about what everybody else has to say about this."
How to Protect Your Team from the Burners
So how do we manage this reality in our own teams?
1. Make it safe for everyone to neutralize negative agents Like Jonathan, team members need to feel empowered to redirect toxic behavior through curiosity and inclusion rather than confrontation. This requires creating an environment where anyone can ask, "What does everyone else think?" without fear of backlash.
2. Establish clear agreements and expectations Your team should have explicit agreements about how you work together—and more importantly, people should be held accountable to these standards. The key here is that the team should absolutely have a hand in building these agreements. When people co-create the rules, they're more likely to enforce them.
3. Unite around a clear vision Above all else, your team needs a compelling vision they're collectively responsible for achieving. When everyone is genuinely invested in the same outcome, it becomes much harder for destructive behavior to take root.
Don't Sacrifice Your A-Players for Your C's
As talent becomes harder and harder to attract and retain: Don't sacrifice your A-players to accommodate your C's.
That negative team member who's "not that bad" and "has some good qualities"? They're costing you far more than their salary. They're costing you the engagement, creativity, and performance of everyone around them.
There's an old Hindu proverb that says, "There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading in the same direction, so it doesn't matter which path you take. The only one wasting time is the one who runs around and around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong."
Your team needs builders—people focused on the climb, not critics running around the mountain telling everyone they're going the wrong way.
Those who don't build must burn. The question is: will you let them burn down what your builders have created?
Want to help your team build stronger connections and create psychological safety? Our LEGO® Serious Play® workshops help teams develop the skills to neutralize negative dynamics while building collaborative strength. Contact us to learn more.
