Effective Teamwork

Acknowledgements xi Part 1 Team Effectiveness 1 1 Creating Effective Teams 3 Task and Social Elements of Team Functioning 6 Team Effectiveness 7 Key Revision Points 12 Further Reading 12 Web Resources 12 2 Real Teams Work 13 Why Work in Teams? 17 Barriers to Effective Teamwork 21 What is a Team? 27 What do Teams do? 29 How can we build Effective Teams? 31 Conclusions 35 Key Revision Points 37 Further Reading 37 Web Resources 38 Part 2 Developing Teams 39 3 Creating Teams 41 Personality and Ability 43 Teamwork Skills 49 Diversity of Team Members 52 Benefiting from Team Diversity 57 Implications of Diversity 58 Key Revision Points 59 Further Reading 59 Web Resources 59 4 Leading Teams 60 The Three Team Leadership Tasks 61 The Three Elements of Leading Teams 63 Tripwires for Team Leaders 77 Developing Team Leadership Skills 79 Self-managing or Shared Leadership Work Teams 84 Key Revision Points 85 Further Reading 85 Web Resources 86 5 Team Training 87 The Stages of Team Development 89 Types of Team Training Interventions 91 Conclusions 101 Key Revision Points 102 Further Reading 102 Web Resources 102 Part 3 Team Working 105 6 Setting Team Direction 107 Team Objectives 107 The Elements of Team Vision 113 Strategy for Teams 115 Key Revision Points 117 Further Reading 117 Web Resources 118 7 Team Playing 119 Interaction 120 Information Sharing 124 Influencing and Decision Making 125 Creating Safety in Teams 131 Key Revision Points 133 Further Reading 134 Web Resources 134 8 Team Quality Management 135 Groupthink 136 Team Pressures to Conform 138 Obedience to Authority 139 Team Defence Mechanisms 139 Commitment to Quality 141 Task Focus/Constructive Controversy 142 Encouraging Constructive Controversy in Teams 143 Conclusion 151 Key Revision Points 152 Further Reading 153 Web Resources 153 9 Creative Team Problem Solving 155 Team Innovation 156 Creative Problem Solving in Teams 160 Techniques for Promoting Creativity within a Team 162 Using Creativity Techniques in Team Meetings 166 Other Influences on Team Innovation 167 Key Revision Points 170 Further Reading 170 Web Resources 171 10 Team Support 172 The Emotional Life of Teams 174 Social Support 176 Support for Team Member Growth and Development 182 Balance between Home and Work Life 184 Social Climate 184 Conclusions 186 Key Revision Points 187 Further Reading 187 Web Resources 187 11 Conflict in Teams 188 Team Conflicts 188 Types of Team Conflict 189 Resolving Team Conflicts 189 Organizational Causes of Conflict 191 Interpersonal Conflicts 193 Difficult Team Members 195 Key Revision Points 198 Further Reading 198 Web Resources 198 Part 4 Teams in Organizations 199 12 Teams in Organizations 201 Introducing Team-based Working (TBW) 202 The Relationship between Teams and their Organizations 205 What do Teams need from their Organizations? 207 The Role of Human Resource Management (HRM) 209 What do Organizations require from Teams? 213 Bridging across Teams 216 Conclusions 219 Key Revision Points 219 Further Reading 220 Web Resources 220 13 Virtual Team Working 221 What is Virtual Team Working? 225 Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Teams 227 How to Develop Effective Virtual Team Working 228 Lifecycle of Virtual Teams 235 Conclusion 238 Key Revision Points 239 Further Reading 239 Web Resources 240 14 Top Management Teams 241 Task Design 243 Team Effort and Skills 245 Organizational Supports 248 Top Management Team Processes 251 Top Team Participation 254 Corporate Social Responsibility 255 Top Team Meetings 257 Conflict 262 CEO Leadership 263 Conclusions 266 Key Revision Points 268 Further Reading 268 Web Resources 268 References 269 Author Index 286 Subject Index 292