Making the Team

This text provides a good balance of theory and practice. It combines cutting-edge research on groups with practical management principles. The text is organized into 3 primary tasks for the leader/manager: 1) Accurately assessing and improving team performance; 2) Managing the internal dynamics of teams (diversity, conflict, and creativity); and 3) Optimally leveraging the team within the larger organization. It is written for both team leaders and team members.

PART I. THE BASICS OF TEAMWORK    
1. Teams in Organizations: Facts and Myths    
2. Performance and Productivity: Team Performance Criteria and Threats to Productivity    
3. Rewarding Teamwork: Compensation and Performance Appraisals    

PART II. INTERNAL DYNAMICS    
4. Designing the Team: Tasks, People, and Processes    
5. Team Identity, Emotion, and Development    
6. Sharpening the Team Mind: Communication and Collective Intelligence    
7. Team Decision Making: Pitfalls and Solutions    
8. Conflict in Teams: Leveraging Differences to Create Opportunity    
9. Creativity: Mastering Strategies for High Performance    

PART III. EXTERNAL DYNAMICS    
10. Networking, Social Capital, and Integrating across Teams    
11. Leadership: Managing the Paradox    
12. Interteam Relations: Competition and Cooperation    
13. Teaming Across Distance and Culture 

APPENDIX 1. Managing Meetings: A Toolkit    
APPENDIX 2. Tips for Facilitators    
APPENDIX 3. A Guide for Creating Effective Study Groups    
APPENDIX 4. Example Items from Peer Evaluations and 360-Degree Performance Evaluations