JR Katzenbach
,
DK Smith
ABSTRACT
Katzenbach and Smith have called upon their extensive practical experience to focus on one of the cornerstones of workplace performance -- teams. The concept of teams has been around for some time. Teams can be found in many sociotechnical-based approaches such as quality circles, quality of work life, process re-engineering, benchmarking and total quality management. In the midst of these and other team-based approaches being criticized, downsized or abandoned, the authors have raised the flag for charge rather than retreat. They seem undaunted by the growing evidence that many team efforts have been initiated with much hoopla and expectations, while the results have often fallen short. The Wisdom of Teams ought to satisfy proponents of teams and should cause skeptics to rethink their views. The authors stress that high-performance teams are invaluable in improving worker motivation, and more importantly, increasing organizational performance. The main thrust of the book can best be stated in the form of a question: "Are companies looking to establish working groups or teams?" If the latter, then recognize that...