ABSTRACT
Many organizations have adopted team-based work systems and temporary project teams as a way of meeting the increasing needs for tighter interconnectedness and integration required to tackle the complex issues facing the organizations. This chapter recognizes that teams have become a fundamental learning unit in organizations. The chapter focuses on best practice strategies for building and sustaining effective teams. The first section describes the taskwork and teamwork knowledge, skills, and attitudes found to be important for building individuals into an effective team. The second section describes training initiatives such as cross-training, team resource management, and teambuilding that can be conducted to enhance the building of these team-relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes. While formal training interventions can clearly help build team effectiveness, learning can also be a focus when teams are on the job performing team tasks. Therefore, this section also examines the evidence for on the job team-based interventions such as action learning, team debriefs, and team coaching. With a high level of effectiveness, teams can begin to manage their own internal processes such as assigning people to work projects, evaluating team success, taking action to improve team effectiveness, and monitoring their own learning. The third section examines learning approaches for facilitating team self-management and adaptation including vicarious learning and team reflexivity.
