Self-managed teams remain an area of interest in the literature and in practice. This study draws on the experiences of four academic women from four different disciplines and uses photo-elicitation to determine the nature of self-managed teams in the academic world. Data was gathered from associated in-depth interviews and a focus group to identify elements which constitute the characteristics of self-managed teams. Photo-elicitation provided a novel and intriguing approach to encourage the women to talk about their experiences, thoughts and ideas. Findings showed that there is a hierarchical clustering of factors with those relating to ‘human relations’ as being the primary and key group of factors contributing to the successful on-going of the self-managed team. This clustering consisted of elements including integrity, honesty, trust, respect and friendship. Secondary factors related to ‘the process of evolution of the self-managed team’ and ‘personal research and career related goals’. The elements of leadership, personal values, fun and external barriers were also found to contribute to the development and continued existence of the self-managed team. While this study examined one self-managed team in an academic environment, it sheds light on the nature and complexity of self-managed teams and the work of academics, as individuals and minority groups, in this case women in academia, seek and find ways to exercise their place as worthy intellectual colleagues, and in the process, they find themselves as part of a self-managed team where they discover friendship, fun and a future.