Since the 2008 financial crisis, existing methods of executive leadership have experienced in-depth scrutiny beyond their control. In reference to Patrick Lencioni, to understand teams is to comprehend an "inattention to results, an avoidance of accountability, and a lack of commitment." Executive leaders have been operating through silent, lucrative and confidential team dynamics that are difficult to access, and subsequently difficult to challenge and understand.

Dr Katsarou-Makin explores the team-to-trust and trust-to-team relations between executives and their associates - pertaining to the familial relations between these members and their unconventional codes of conduct. Under this umbrella of governance, directors, leaders and corporate gatekeepers operate in teams that are selected and trusted through unorthodox relations which must now come to light. Upon entry, Maria seeks to explore how these teams operate through a collective consensus of trust, the values this trust demands, the actions it produces and the failures it can cause.