When Teams Work Best : 6,000 Team Members and Leaders Tell What It Takes to Succeed

by Lafasto, Frank M.J.; Larson, Carl

• ISBN13: 9780761923664
• ISBN10: 0761923667
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-08-21
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc

Summary

What makes some teams achieve extraordinary outcomes, while other fall disappointingly short of the mark?Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson have systematically explored that question for more than 20 years. In 1989, they published the best-selling book TeamWork; What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong, which reported the results of an in-depth study of some of the most successful teams in recent history and identified the eight characteristics of high performance teams.When Teams Work Best advances this groundbreaking research by probing more deeply inside the workings of hundred of teams-some effective and some faltering. For over a decade, the authors collected and analyzed responses from more than 6,000 team members and leaders across a variety of industries, in both public and private sectors, to find out exactly what conditions help or hinder teams in achieving their goals. The voices of these team members-often eloquent, always enlightening-are heard through the quotations that appear throughout the book.

Author Biography

Frank LaFasto, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President of Organization Effectiveness for Cardinal Health, Inc., a multinational healthcare company.

Table of Contents

Prologue

A Brief Perspective on Teamwork and Collaboration

What Makes a Good Team Member?

Six Factors That Distinguish Effective Team Members

Team Relationships

Simple and Easy vs Complicated and Hard

Question 1: What Behaviors Are Most Important in a Team Relationship?

Question 2: What Is the Greatest Challenge in Team Relationships?

Question 3: How Do You Build and Sustain a Collaborative Team Relationship?

The Connect Model

A Proven Approach To Building Effective Team Relationships

The Connect Model

Step by Step

Team Problem Solving

Raising and Resolving the Real Issues

What Factors Distinguish Good Problem-Solving Teams?

The Problem-Solving Dynamic

Goal, Energies, and the Decision-Making Process

The Team Leader

What Works//What Gets in the Way

Six Dimensions of Team Leadership

Dimension One: Focus on the Goal

Dimension Two: Ensure a Collaborative Climate

Dimension Three: Build Confidence

Dimension Four: Demonstrate Sufficient Technical Know-How

Dimension Five: Set Priorities

Dimension Six: Manage Performance

The Organization Environment

Promoting Clarity, Confidence, and Commitment

Three Dimensions of Organization Environment

Management Practices

Structure and Processes

Systems