It does have the effect of binding the team together amazingly tight and ensuring everyone is pulling in the same direction. Issues that crop up are solved early rather than festering away until they get to be a huge.
you don't need this kind of cultiness with a manager at the centre to 'bind a team tight'(from experience of working on high productivity, high focus teams).
Sure you need open communication on all levels, not a manager forcing you to talk to him 3 hours every week "with undivided attention", which is just weird.
