Mark Agnew
My teammates and I needed all the resilience we could muster to kayak the Northwest Passage
The importance of culture for resilient teams
When it comes to building high-performing teams, most of us assume talent, skill, and motivation are the key drivers. But research shows that one negative person can undo all of that, no matter how strong the rest of the team is. In my motivational keynote talk on adventure and resilience, I discuss the importance of camaraderie and loving your teammates.
Enquire now: Motivational keynote Talk on adventure and resilience
The performance and resilience of your team depends not just on the best person, but also the worst person. Motivational keynote talks are a good way to set the tone and set the standard everyone is expected to adhere too. But don't take my word for it:
The Science of the “Bad Apple Effect”
In 2006, organizational scholar Will Felps conducted a fascinating experiment to explore the impact of negative behavior on group performance. He planted an actor into student teams tasked with problem-solving, instructing them to act in one of three “bad apple” ways:
- The Jerk — openly hostile, rude, or disagreeable.
- The Slacker — unmotivated, doing the bare minimum, dragging the team down.
- The Depressive Pessimist — low energy, constantly predicting failure.
The results were striking. Even when surrounded by capable, motivated team members, the presence of a single negative actor dropped team performance by up to 40%. Worse, the negative behavior spread: other members began to mirror the bad attitude, snapping at each other, withdrawing effort, and losing focus.
Why Negativity Is Contagious
This effect isn’t just about being “difficult.” It’s about the way emotions and behavior ripple through a group. Psychologists call this emotional contagion — the unconscious mirroring of attitudes, energy, and mood. In team settings, one person’s negativity can create tension, reduce collaboration, and slow progress.
What Leaders Can Do
The Felps study teaches a clear lesson for anyone managing teams: don’t ignore a bad apple. Here’s how to protect your culture:
- Address negativity early. Call out toxic behaviors while they’re manageable.
- Set clear team norms. Make respect, accountability, and collaboration non-negotiable.
- Leverage feedback loops. Encourage team members to speak up when negativity surfaces.
- Act decisively if needed. Chronic toxicity can’t be ignored — removing or reassigning a bad actor may be necessary to preserve team performance.
The Takeaway
One negative person can have an outsized effect, even in high-performing teams. But awareness, strong leadership, and proactive culture-building can prevent one bad apple from spoiling the barrel.
Because in teams, it’s not just skill or effort that matters — it’s the emotional climate. Protect it, and your team will thrive.