Synopses & Reviews
Richard Hackman, one of the world's leading experts on group and organizational behavior, argues that teams perform at their best when leaders create conditions that allow them to manage themselves effectively. Leading Teams is not about subscribing to a specific formula or leadership style, says Hackman. Rather, it is about applying a concise set of guiding principles to each unique group situationand doing so in the leader's own idiosyncratic way. Based on extensive research and using compelling examples ranging from orchestras to airline cockpit crews, Leading Teams identifies five essential conditionsa stable team, a clear and engaging direction, an enabling team structure, a supportive organizational context, and the availability of competent coachingthat greatly enhance the likelihood of team success. The book offers a practical framework that leaders can use to muster personal skills and organizational resources to create and sustain the five key conditions and shows how those conditions can launch a team onto a trajectory of increasing effectiveness. Authoritative and astutely realistic, Leading Teams offers a new and provocative way of thinking about and leading work teams in any organizational setting.
Synopsis
Why do so many teams struggle unpleasantly toward an unsatisfactory conclusion or, worse, crash and burn shortly after launch? J. Richard Hackman argues that the answer to this puzzle is rooted in flawed thinking about team leadership. Through extensive research and compelling examples Hackman identifies five conditions that set the stage for great performances. Leading Teams gives you conditions that any leader can put in place to increase the likelihood of team success.
About the Author
J. Richard Hackman is the Cahners-Rabb Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University.