When teams work best : 6

During the past several decades, the trend toward collaborative teamwork has grown tremendously. Teams can be found everywhere in the public and private sectors, and they come in many forms—executive teams, management teams, teams created around functional areas, special-purpose teams, cross-functional teams, industry teams, etc., depending on the work to be done. But, though most leaders and managers understand the necessity of these kinds of relationships, and view them as a valuable tool for managing today’s complex and rapidly changing environment, teamwork has not, for the most part lived up to its potential—despite this theoretical understanding. When Teams Work Best, a report of the results of 15 years of research, seeks to close that gap. Speaking to executives, managers, team leaders, and team members, LaFasto and Larson offer an analysis of the conditions that approximately 6,000 team members themselves say contribute both to the success and failure of teams. (These 6,000 team members comprise 600 teams from such industries as airline, automotive, banking/finance, chemical, computer, consulting, distribution/logistics, education, food, healthcare, industrial equipment, insurance, law enforcement, legal, pharmaceutical, publishing, retail science/engineering, sports, telecommunications, and utilities.) And, they present specific tools, and outline a wealth of strategies and techniques, for ensuring teamwork effectiveness, including: demonstrating the abilities Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson