While I generally agree with the author's thesis based on my own experience leading engineering teams, I also agree with your view point that the author provide

While I generally agree with the author's thesis based on my own experience leading engineering teams, I also agree with your view point that the author provides no facts to back it up, not even examples of teams he has worked on. This makes his opinions somewhat circumspect. For an example of research-based conclusions about teams, Google's write-ups are illustrative: https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/ https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/ In general, I think Google's research captures something that the author of this post fails to take into account fully, which is that psychological safety of the team members matters is a key indicator towards effectiveness.