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Creating Effective Teams
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Creating Effective Teams
A Guide for Members and Leaders

Sixth Edition
August 2020 | 168 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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A practical guide for building and sustaining top-performing teams  

Based on the authors' many years of consulting experience with teams in the public and private sectors, Creating Effective Teams: A Guide for Members and Leaders describes why teams are important, how they function, and what makes them successful. The texts covers the four stages of team development —forming, storming, norming, and performing— to help readers effectively navigate these different phases. Separate chapters are devoted to the responsibilities of team leaders and team members. Susan A. Wheelan, Maria Akerlund, and Christian Jacobsson highlight common problems that occur frequently in groups as well as provide practical tips, real-life examples, and questionnaires to help address those problems.


 
Preface
 
About the Authors
 
Chapter 1 • Why Groups?
Groups Have a Long History of Success

 
We Need Groups Every Day

 
Groups Increase Our Knowledge Base

 
When Teams Are Good, They’re Very, Very Good

 
Creating Effective Teams

 
How to Use This Book

 
 
Chapter 2 • Effective Organizational Support for Teams
Plant Groups in a Favorable Organizational Climate

 
Give Groups What They Need to Do Their Best

 
Pick Members Based on Their Ability to Do the

 
Task and Their Ability to Contribute to Group Success

 
Educate People for Group Participation Competence

 
Avoid Unsubstantiated Team Development and Consultation Strategies

 
Avoid Helping Groups Too Much

 
Make Sure Each Group Has Enough Autonomy to Do Its Work but Remains Connected With the Rest of the Organization

 
Conduct Organizational Support Reviews Regularly

 
The Organizational Support Checklist

 
 
Chapter 3 • From Groups to Teams: The Stages of Group Development
Stage 1: Dependence and Inclusion

 
Stage 2: Counterdependence and Fighting

 
Stage 3: Trust and Structure

 
Stage 4: Work and Productivity

 
Surviving Group Development

 
 
Chapter 4 • How Do High Performance Teams Function?
The Characteristics of High Performance Teams

 
Ten Keys to Productivity

 
Team Performance Checklist

 
 
Chapter 5 • Effective Team Members
Don’t Blame Others for Group Problems

 
Encourage the Process of Goal, Role, and Task Clarification

 
Encourage the Adoption of an Open Communication Structure in Which All Member Input and Feedback Are Heard

 
Promote an Appropriate Ratio of Task and Supportive Communications

 
Promote the Use of Effective Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Procedures

 
Encourage the Establishment of Norms That Support Productivity, Innovation, and Freedom of Expression

 
Go Along With Norms That Promote Group Effectiveness and Productivity

 
Promote Group Cohesion and Cooperation

 
Effective Member Checklist

 
 
Chapter 6 • Effective Team Leadership
Don’t Take On Every Leadership Assignment You Are Offered

 
Adjust Your Leadership Style to Meet the Developmental Needs of the Group at a Particular Time

 
Leadership at Stage 1: Be a Directive and Confident Leader

 
Leadership at Stage 2: When Members Begin to Demand More Participation in Running the Group, Slowly Begin to Empower Them

 
Leadership at Stage 3: Involve Members in the Leadership Function

 
Leadership at Stage 4: Participate as an Expert Member of Your Team

 
Effective Leader Checklist

 
 
Chapter 7 • Navigating Stage 1
Goals of Stage 1

 
Concerns About Safety and Inclusion

 
Dependence on the Designated Leader

 
A Wish for Order and Structure

 
 
Chapter 8 • Surviving Stage 2
Goals of Stage 2

 
Create a Unified Group Culture

 
Create a Unified and Effective Group Structure

 
 
Chapter 9 • Reorganizing at Stage 3
Goals of Stage 3

 
Fine-Tuning Roles, Organization, and Procedures

 
Solidifying Positive Relationships

 
 
Chapter 10 • Sustaining High Performance
Goals of Stage 4

 
Getting the Work Done Well

 
Making Decisions

 
Cohesion and Conflict

 
Maintaining High Performance

 
 
Chapter 11 • Changes in Team Functioning
Fluid Teams

 
Self-Managed Teams

 
Agile Teams

 
Virtual Teams

 
Multicultural Teams

 
 
Chapter 12 • Research on the Integrated Model of Group Development
Does the Model Describe What Really Happens in Groups?

 
How Are Groups Distributed Across the Four Stages?

 
On Average, How Long Does the Development Process Take?

 
Does Team Building Have Any Effect?

 
Does Group Size Affect Group Maturity?

 
How Do Work Groups in Different Sectors Function?

 
A Final Thought

 
 
Bibliography
 
Index

Helpful for the course I teach

Dr Omotola Aksinsola
Social Work Dept, Minnesota State Univ-Mankato
August 16, 2023
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Key features
New to this Edition:
  • New Chapter 11 on Changes in Team Functioning explores the benefits and challenges of working on fluid teams, self-managed teams, agile teams, virtual teams, and multicultural teams.
  • A significantly revised Chapter 12 highlights the latest research on the integrated model of group development. 
  • New and updated research throughout 
Key Features:
  • Packed with straightforward strategies for building and supporting well-managed, high-performing teams, this book examines why teams are important, how they function, and what makes them productive.
  • Checklists and self-evaluations provide even more information on the reader’s personal leader or team member style.
  • Research references provide readers with the theory and research background for the practical, application-based material in the text.