Revolutionize Teamwork: How to Create and Lead Accountable Teams

By Eric Coryell

An in-depth exploration of what makes a team successful along with actionable strategies for building and leading accountable teams.

The book discusses the critical elements of teamwork, including communication, collaboration, trust, and, most importantly, accountability.

The book's unique approach to team development focuses on building accountable teams—groups where each member takes responsibility for their part while working together toward a common goal. It provides practical strategies and tips, including methods for enhancing communication, strategies for building trust, and systems for ensuring accountability.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Guide: Covers all critical aspects of effective teamwork, including communication, collaboration, trust, and accountability.
• Expert Insights: Taps into the author's extensive experience in organizational development.
• Wide Application: Suitable for leaders, HR professionals, and team members across all levels and industries.
• Emphasizes Accountability: Focuses on the importance of individual responsibility within a team context for successful collaboration.

Whether you are a leader aiming to cultivate a high-performance team, an HR professional looking to enhance team dynamics, or a team member wanting to contribute more effectively, Revolutionize Teamwork offers invaluable guidance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Mar 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728209234

Eric Coryell

Eric Coryell dedicates his time to helping organizations engage their employees through strategic alignment, leadership development and the creation of functional and accountable teams.

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Eric Coryell

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This is dedicated to all the people who go to work every day, trying to make their teams and the world a better place. Keep fighting the good fight.

Contents

Front Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

1. Organizational Structure, Teams, and Accountability

2. The Three Types of Teams

3. The Behaviors That Matter

4. Team Accountability and Decision-Making

5. Putting It All Together

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Back Cover

Introduction

As an organizational coach, I am often approached by people seeking advice as to how to get their teams to function better. When I ask them what function better means to them, I get a variety of answers, such as I wish they would think for themselves and not always be looking to me for the answers, or If they would only stop throwing each other under the bus…, or I want them to be more accountable, or I wish they would say what they really feel and not be so afraid of conflict. Concurrently, I am approached by team members looking for advice on what do to when they have that boss. The list of issues here is equally diverse. They are too dictatorial, or They are too soft and won’t hold people accountable, or the opposite, I wish they would stop micromanaging everything. After having been a part of, led, and worked with countless teams of all sizes in all sorts of industries, I have come to one definitive conclusion: despite the good intent of good people, most teams are dysfunctional.

Everyone wants to be part of a functional team, whether that team is a work team, a sports team, or even a family. Teams have been studied, researched, and written about for decades, but no silver bullet has been discovered. Some books focus on the science of a team, while others focus on the human element. Others have examined a high-performing team in one environment, dissected its key attributes, and then applied those attributes to teams in other environments. These approaches have all served to advance our understanding of teams and how to improve their effectiveness. But despite all that we now know about teams, the nonfunctional teams still far outnumber the functional ones. And as rare as functional teams are, truly accountable teams are rarer still.

This book is written for those people who are struggling to get the team they are leading or the team they

are a part of on track. The journey to becoming an accountable team requires taking a road less traveled. Getting there requires thought and behavior that fly in the face of conventional wisdom. In the following chapters, some of what you will read may make you feel a little uncomfortable. You may not agree with some of