Teamwork has become ubiquitous in the workplace. Nearly 68% of small companies use teams according to a 1999 Industry Week survey of manufacturers, and 25-99% of their employees work in teams.Objectives: As a result of this unit you should be able to:
Reading resources
- describe the change drivers for organizations that are leading to promotion of teams and training
- explain how individuals and teams are different in performance (i.e., when to use teams or individuals)
- describe the advantages and disadvantages in using teams
- explain criteria for selecting people to become team members
- Change drivers for teams --what are the large-scale global, social, technological, and other forces that are driving organizations to innovate and consider the role of teams?
- Individual & Team performance-- How are individuals and teams different in performance, and when should each be used?
- Group vs. Team
- Teamwork in organizations (long and excellent article)
- Team Performance: good & bad-- Not everyone likes teams, and for good reason.
- Problems with teams
- Four myths about teams
- Why teams don't work
- Team Gains
- Teamwork: What must go right, what can go wrong
- From both sides now: The power of teamwork--fact or fiction?
- Team Composition
- Team composition --what should you consider in selecting team members?
- Considerations for initial team formation