The Problems with Teamwork, and How to Solve Them

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.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Why work in teams and for what are teams effective? Chapter 2. The problem with problem-solving Chapter 3. We have teams, but little teamwork Chapter 4. Team composition: "We have a team, but team members do not benefit from each other" Chapter 5. The team does not carry out the tasks in a coordinated manner Chapter 6 The team does not cooperate adequately due to conflicts and a lack of a positive and amicable climate Chapter 7. The problem with lack of adaptability Chapter 8. The teams does not perform well because of a lack of good leadership Chapter 9. Teamwork and team learning does not result in organizational learning Chapter 10. Requirement specification of systematic team interventions Chapter 11. Effective teams over time

About the Author :
Annika Lantz is a professor of psychology at the University of Stockholm, Sweden. Her main research interests are team development, leadership and innovation processes. She also works as a consultant for Fritz Change AB and has worked as a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. Daniela Ulber is a professor at HAW Hamburg University, Germany. Her research focuses on organizational development, management and coaching as well as systemic and solution-orientated consulting in organizations. Peter Friedrich, Dr., is a senior consultant at Fritz Change AB, Sweden, with expertise in organizational development, action research and cross-cultural studies of innovation processes. He has an academic background in industrial engineering, and is a former researcher at the Swedish National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety and the Wiesbaden Business School.

Review :
"Lantz, Ulber and Friedrich have achieved a rare integration of deep scientific research and extensive experience with work teams grappling with tough problems. They provide a cogent and powerful guide for how to create teams that fulfil the potential of humans working cooperatively together in small, skilled collectives to meet the challenges they face. This book is not some superficial appeal to vague notions of positivity in working together but rather a rich source of knowledge about how to ensure we work effectively together in teams in ways that make the best use of our human emotional and cognitive capacities to perform at the highest levels. It is a gift for both researchers and practitioners." —Michael West, Lancaster University, UK