ABSTRACT

This book offers practical, evidence-based solutions to help professionals implement and support effective teamwork. Lantz, Ulber and Friedrich draw on their considerable professional experience to present common problems in team-based organizations, what empirical research tells us the causes are and which solutions are more effective in overcoming team-based obstacles.

In The Problems with Teamwork, and How to Solve Them, nine common problems are identified, ranging from lack of leadership and adaptability to conflict and cohesiveness, accompanied by clear instructions on how to approach and resolve the individual issues. Detailed case studies are presented throughout the book, demonstrating how theory can be applied to real-life situations to produce optimal results for both the team and the larger organisation. By combining theory and practice, and using state-of-the-art research, the book constructs a cognitive map for identifying problem causes and effect, and step-by-step instructions on how to solve problems.

This is essential reading for anyone working in team-based organizations, as well as students and academics in related areas such as organizational psychology and organizational behaviour.

chapter Chapter 1|29 pages

Why work in teams, and for what are teams effective?

chapter Chapter 2|18 pages

The problem with problem-solving

chapter Chapter 3|29 pages

We have teams but little teamwork

chapter Chapter 4|30 pages

Team composition

“We have a team, but team members do not benefit from each other”

chapter Chapter 7|26 pages

The problem with lack of adaptability

chapter Chapter 11|21 pages

Effective teams over time