Team systems are all about the coordination of roles to produce output from input. The connections between roles and team systems are called relationships. Relationships change within systems over time, and over time systems develop more and more relationships to each other to gain and provide access to more and more relationships. This relationship exchange is also coordinated in both the short run and the long run, affecting the functional, structural, and ideal states of each system involved in relationships linkage. The flow of relationships in a system determines its efficiency and its level of adaptability. When thinking of relationships as a team system resource, it is important that relationships can be leveraged throughout a system quickly and where and when most needed.

When examining a team system in different areas, understanding if there are enough and appropriate relationships to allow all roles within the system to work efficiently across the entire system or supersystem is important. Examine all aspects of the system looking for where there may be artificial barriers, or where additional relationships would aid in producing more ideal or valuable outputs.