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Mastery above all.
Specialized artisans who care deeply about their craft and each other. They protect quality standards and support one another like a tight-knit family.
This team views their work not as a job, but as a craft. Whether they are writing code, drafting contracts, or designing components, they are obsessed with quality and precision. They look inward for validation (Internal), caring more about the respect of their peers than the applause of the market. They protect their standards fiercely (Stable) and support each other like a medieval guild (Consensus), creating a safe haven for expertise to flourish.
Understanding what each letter in ISCO means for your team's identity.
Values culture, harmony, and internal dynamics
Values process, predictability, and defined goals
Values democracy, buy-in, and inclusive decisions
Values efficiency, reliability, and incremental improvement
You cannot rush them, but you also cannot fault their work. They produce the 'gold standard' assets that the rest of the company relies on. Their internal cohesion means they share knowledge freely, raising the collective skill level of the entire group. They are the guardians of the company's quality.
They can become snobbish about their domain, dismissing outsiders (including customers) as 'ignorant'. They will polish a pebble for weeks while the building burns down, struggling to compromise quality for speed even when the business demands it. They often resist new methods that threaten their established expertise.
How this team type typically operates, communicates, and makes decisions.
Technical, jargon-heavy, and insular. They speak a shorthand language that outsiders find hard to penetrate. They prefer written specifications to verbal ambiguity.
Passive-aggressive defense. They close ranks against external threats but may have quiet, simmering internal resentments about 'who is the best'. They rarely shout, but they remember everything.
Peer-based. They only respect feedback from someone who can actually do the job better than they can. Managerial feedback is often viewed with skepticism.
Consensus by seniority/expertise. The 'Masters' of the guild guide the decisions, and the apprentices follow. Change happens slowly and deliberately.
This team identity excels in the following contexts and industries:
Practical advice for leading and getting the best out of this team type.
Create structured apprentice roles for knowledge transfer.
Shield them from 'urgent' but unimportant requests so they can focus on deep work.
Challenge them to define what 'Done' looks like before they start, to prevent endless polishing.
They must embrace 'Pragmatism'. A high-performing Guild understands that shipping a B+ product today is often better than an A+ product next year. They need to learn to take pride in efficiency as much as they take pride in quality.
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