Star Team Dynamics

Incorporating the latest research throughout, Daniel Levi’s Fifth Edition of Group Dynamics for Teams explains the basic psychological concepts of group dynamics, focusing on their application with teams in the workplace. Grounded in psychology research and a practical focus on organizational behavior issues, this engaging book helps readers understand and more effectively participate in teams.

One of the new paradigms for getting things done in corporate America involves the creation of teams. But the process is much more than just assembling a group of people with the right knowledge and abilities. The process of creating effective teams involves helping the individuals comfortably grow into their new roles. Building on the successes and failures of real life organizations, Star Team(SM) Dynamics is both a step-by-step guide and a reference manual. This valuable book guides an organization from conception through maturation in the establishment of a team-based culture, supporting collaboration and new communications systems. Easy-to-read and apply, the book offers the reader practical tools, techniques and processes to organize structures in a way that will be both resilient and responsive. Star Team(SM) Dynamics is perfect for any executive, manager, team-leader, and -member planning a team-based culture.

Using research related to group psychology along with the practical lessons being learned by the numerous business organizations adopting teams, this book addresses the complex issues associated with teams, and how students can develop the necessary tools to increase their effectiveness as team designers, leaders and members. The book combines research summaries with extended case descriptions of actual teams in business organizations. The authors focus on the key issues that are critical to team success, without overemphasizing unnecessary psychological theory. The case studies are adapted from Business without Bosses, a book written by Charles Manz and Henry Sims and published by Wiley. These cases have been well received by students and business leaders. This is an integrated textbook that combines knowledge from both research and practice into a model that provides students with an opportunity to learn about teams in an efficient yet comprehensive manner.

Organizations thrive or struggle as a result of interactions among team members. To optimize the performance of teams, Group Dynamics and Team Interventions bridges the gap between the most up-to-date academic research findings about group behavior and real-life practice. Chapters summarize the theories behind group and team behavior while offering proven application and intervention techniques that can be utilized in workplace settings. Topics addressed include team formation and development; understanding culture and team diversity; improving team cohesion, decision making, and problem solving; managing and reducing team conflict; team leadership, power, and influence; and others. Brief case studies and interventions that illustrate each theory help to enhance the clarity of the topics. Group Dynamics and Team Interventions will benefit academics and practitioners alike, who gain from a better understanding of the dynamics that inform team behavior, along with assessment tools and practical intervention techniques to create and maintain a high-performing team.

In today's high impact world of business, it helps to have someone on your team. Effective teams make for effective businesses, and effective businesses mean success for everyone involved. In every career field it is essential that you develop into a positive team player. The qualities of a progressive team can and will vault you to the top of the success ladder. Team Dynamics will not only review the qualities of an effective team player, but illustrate the types of habits that will make each team you are a part of highly productive and efficient. Team Dynamics is one title in the Professional Development Series by South-Western. This series is the perfect resource for learning the non-technical strategies and tactics needed to compete in today's business world.

The world's elite athletes and coaches achieve high performance through inspiring leadership, mental toughness, and direction-setting strategic choices. Harvard Business Review has talked to many of these high performers throughout the years to learn how their success translates to the world of business. If you read nothing else on management lessons from the world of sports, read these 10 articles by athletes, coaches, and leadership experts. We've combed through our archive and selected the articles that will best help you drive performance. This book will inspire you to: Improve on your weaknesses, not just your strengths Take care of your body for sustained mental performance Increase your confidence and manage your energy before an important event Turn a struggling team around Understand the limits of performance metrics Focus on long-term goals to overcome setbacks Understand where the analogy of sports and business doesn't work This collection of articles includes "Ferguson's Formula," by Anita Elberse with Sir Alex Ferguson; "Life's Work: An Interview with Greg Louganis"; "The Making of a Corporate Athlete," by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz; "The Tough Work of Turning a Team Around," by Bill Parcells; "How an Olympic Gold Medalist Learned to Perform Under Pressure: An Interview with Alex Gregory"; "Mental Preparation Secrets of Top Athletes, Entertainers, and Surgeons," an interview with Daniel McGinn by Sarah Green Carmichael; "SoulCycle's CEO on Sustaining Growth in a Faddish Industry," by Melanie Whelan; "Life's Work: An Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar"; "Major League Innovation," by Scott D. Anthony; "Looking Past Performance in Your Star Talent," by Mark de Rond, Adrian Moorhouse, and Matt Rogan; "Life's Work: An Interview with Mikhail Baryshnikov"; "How the Best of the Best Get Better and Better," by Graham Jones; "Life's Work: An Interview with Joe Girardi"; "Why There Is an I in Team," by Mark de Rond; "Life's Work: An Interview with Andre Agassi"; and "Why Sports Are a Terrible Metaphor for Business," by Bill Taylor.

Certain to create new controversies, and stir up some old ones, here is a fascinating historical and comparative look at the national pastime and its greatest players over the past one hundred years.

"The field has been waiting for a masterpiece like Racial and Cultural Dynamics in Group and Organizational Life for a long time. It provides a thoughtful account of the subtle, barely visible, and sometimes unspeakable influences of racial and cultural dynamics that occur in groups." —Leo Wilton, Binghamton University, State University of New York "I believe that by focusing on group diversity, this book aligns with a major trend that has not received enough attention." — Christopher J. McCarthy, University of Texas at Austin This book presents a theoretical framework for understanding leadership and authority in group and organizational life. Using relational psychoanalytic and systems theory, the authors examine conscious and unconscious processes as they relate to racial and cultural issues in the formation and maintenance of groups. Unique among group dynamics texts, the book explores aspects of racial and cultural influences in every chapter. Readers will enhance their analytic and practice skills in addressing factors that impact diverse groups and organizations, including ethical considerations, social roles, strategies for leadership, dynamics of entering and joining, and termination. Key Features Case examples help readers integrate theory and practice, as illustrated in transcripts of interactions from group sessions. A group work competencies list ensures that readers master concepts as they progress through the book. An assessment form allows the student or practitioner to evaluate concrete dynamics of groups, such as size, and gendered and racial composition. This text is appropriate for graduate-level courses incorporating group dynamics and multicultural topics in departments of psychology, education, counseling, and social work. It is also a valuable resource for counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals in preparation for group work.

This book is filled with the concepts, ideas, and practical suggestions that are needed for any manager to have at hand if he or she is a member or creator of a committee, team, task-force, or any other activity involving collaboration among several people. The ideas are proven by several decades of experience and well-supported in the text with numerous examples.

Hackman (social and organizational psychology, Harvard U.) identifies the factors of being a team leader that will enable a team to work together efficiently to achieve organizational goals. He suggests that five conditions are necessary: having a real team, a compelling direction, an enabling team structure, a supportive organizational context, and expert team coaching. He integrates insights from interviews with team leaders with concepts from the social sciences. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR