Building Effective Work Groups

By Woodrow Sears

Why groups, not teams? Because teams are always rooted in authority, usually competitive, and really hard to keep in productive activity all day every day. Likewise, team building is entertaining more than educational, producing questionable ROI. But working on the work people do, helping them to be more effective and interdependent, pays big dividends for individuals and employers. Check it out!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Woodrow Sears
• Release date: Feb 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458139276

Woodrow Sears

Semi-retired consultant, active college instructor, author (6 books for HRD Press in 2007-8), regular contributor to the Cincom "ExpertAccess" business e-zine. I hold one of the early doctorates in Human Resource Development, lectured extensively on project management on an international circuit, worked with clients to install systems, and was heavily involved in civil rights, supervisory, and management training. Came to Lithuania in 1998 as a volunteer, and never left. I live in Vilnius in a former monastery, heat with wood (by choice), and love cooking for friends. Living in Europe is special everyday!

Book preview

BUILDING EFFECTIVE WORK GROUPS

by

Dr. Woody Sears

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY

Dr. Woody Sears

Design/Editorial Support by

PleasantValleyPress.net

Building Effective Work Groups

Copyright © 2011 by Woodrow Sears

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal use and may not be re-sold or given away. If you want to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and didn't purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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Contents

1. Author’s Note

2. Building Effective Work Groups

3. Introduction

4. Understanding Group Dynamics

5. Manipulating Variables

6. Guidelines for Employee Participation

7. Here Are Some Steps to Take

8. Functions, Roles, and Rules

9. Awards and Rewards

10. Summary

11. About the Author

Author's Note

Everyone else writes about teams. Why work groups and not teams? Because if you're like most people, when you hear teams, you immediately think of your favorite sports teams—football, American football, basketball, baseball, etc. What all those teams have in common is a coach, manager, boss—someone who dictates plays, tactics, strategies, and who can fire team members when they don't or can't meet performance expectations. Teams are about authority, work groups are about effectiveness. I think that's an important difference, and I hope that after reading this book,