What are the necessary ingredients which make a team of staff in schools successful? How can teamwork in schools be improved? In what ways does effective teamwork in schools result in more efficiency, more enjoyment, and more success? Teamwork Plain and Simple provides the answers to these questions, offering a fresh perspective on how teachers and school leaders can implement effective teamwork in schools. Rooted in three decades of teaching and school leadership experience and drawing on his ground-breaking research through this essential text, Dr Michael Harpham identifies the five key ingredients that support effective teamwork in schools and offers over 40 situation-driven strategies to help you lead and develop your team. The chapters cover: Expectations of working and progressing as a team Team communication and interaction Team behaviours and building relationships Organisational infrastructure and team functionality Capacity and growing your team Including a user-friendly audit to evaluate the efficacy of your team, as well as useful tips and practical case studies, this guide is a crucial read for any teacher or school leader who wishes to improve their organisation’s teamwork.
In Volume I of The Parker Team Series, Teamwork:20 Steps to Success, acclaimed author Glenn Parker states that " Successful teamwork requires doing lots of 'unspectacular little things, ' such as having a clear purpose, building effective relationships, honoring your commitments, and an obsessive concern for communicating information." This quick, easy-to-read title is full of the information required to conduct teams in a more effective manner, including job aids and assessments. Teamwork:20 Steps to Success is the perfect primer for any type of team, from on-site, existing teams to brand-new.
This book is about getting teamwork right. Teams are held back by many issues and find it hard to navigate themselves out of trouble. This is a guide for any teams struggling with issues like conflict, poor communication, politics or lack of clarity. Learn how to create a more connected, aligned and committed team that is happy and ready.
A key role of educators is preparing students for today's world of work, where a top skill demanded by employers is the ability to work together in teams. This user-friendly manual equips educators with the tools needed to provide students with an understanding of what it takes to work successfully on group projects, and learn these valuable teamwork skills. The authors are two college educators with decades of experience teaching group dynamics. In this book, they share their expertise so that novice and experienced educators alike can better plan, execute, and assess group projects. Topics include assigning students to teams, developing a meaningful team task, creating leadership in student groups, managing conflict during a group project, communicating effectively as a group, and supporting teams in an online environment. The book is written in a conversational style and includes structured advice, examples, and worksheets to provide teachers with more confidence to run group projects in their classrooms across a wide range of subjects. The companion website offers additional resources and easy access to the authors who answer questions and provide consultation. This book is an invaluable resource that should be in the library of every educator.What Educators are Saying about the BookPlacing students into groups is a classic instructional method. Yet sometimes students and instructors need supplemental guidance to make group work successful rather than frustrating. If you use student group projects as an instructional method this is a must-have book. This practical resource offers a wealth of information, tips, and instructional strategies to facilitate working and learning in small groups. Highly recommended.Steven A. Beebe, Ph.D.Regents' and University Distinguished ProfessorTexas State UniversityCo-author, Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and PracticesAs a university professor in a large business school for 30 years, I know the value of group projects but have struggled with facilitating them well. I welcome this book. The authors have written a practical and concise treatment to enable group project success. This helpful handbook is full of excellent examples of the challenges those of us with group projects face, and useful solutions to those challenges. I highly recommend this book. Ellen F. Monk, Ph.D.Department of Accounting and MISLerner College of Business & EconomicsUniversity of DelawareI especially like the scenarios and practical applications that this book offers. I can envision high school teachers using this book in a professional learning community to guide their practices. I also can see this book used as a reference material - it's accessible and a quick read with valuable insight and perspectives uncovered. Offering a structured approach to group work would be particularly helpful for teachers.Amy Shannon, M.S. Assistant PrincipalVictor High SchoolThe adage "we are better together" rings true in every educational setting. Students learn best when they learn from each other. I often used group projects so students can blend their knowledge and past experiences to produce great work. And, to teach students how to work collaboratively as a team knowing that this is a critical life skill needed to thrive in today's global community. Now as a school administrator, I often observe teachers who employ team projects, but forget to establish guides and norms to help the team thrive. The authors of this book provide educators with a detailed guide on how students should collaborate to not only produce a project, but to learn critical life skills that can push the team to efficient new heights. This is a must read for teachers who want to get the very best out of their student teams. I highly recommend this book and will incorporate its practices in my district.Michael V. Ginestre, M.S., Superintendent of SchoolsSherman Central School District
This program focuses on three key ingredients of effective teams: a culture of trust and collaboration, a commitment to a common goal, and mutual accountability. It discusses the importance of team evaluation and some basic concepts for teambuilding in the workplace.
This accessible, highly interactive book presents a transformative approach to communication in leadership to meet workplace challenges at both local and global levels. Informed by neuroscience, psychology, as well as leadership science, it explains how integrating and properly balancing two key focal points of management—the tasks at hand and the concerns of others and self—can facilitate decision-making, partnering with diverse colleagues, and handling of crises and conflicts. Case examples, a self-test, friendly calls for reflection, and practical exercises provide readers with varied opportunities to assess, support, and evoke their readiness to apply these real-world concepts to their own style and preferences. Together, these chapters demonstrate the best outcomes of collaborative communication: greater effectiveness, deeper empathy with improved emotional fulfillment, and lasting positive change. Included in the coverage: · As a manager, can I be human? Using the two-agenda approach for more effective—and humane—management. · Being and becoming a person-centered leader and manager in a crisis environment. · Methods for transforming communication: dialogue. · Open Case: A new setting for problem-solving in teams. · Integrating the two agendas in agile management. · Tasks and people: what neuroscience reveals about managing both more effectively. · Transforming communication in multicultural contexts for better understanding across cultures. As a skill-building resource, Transforming Communication in Leadership and Teamwork offers particular value: · to diverse business professionals, including managers, leaders, and team members seeking to become more effective · business consultants and coaches working with people in executive positions and/or teams · leaders and members of multi-national teams · executives, decision makers and organizational developers · instructors and students of courses on effective communication, social and professional skills, human resources, communication and digital media, leadership, teamwork, and related subjects.
This book is filled with the concepts, ideas, and practical suggestions that are needed for any manager to have at hand if he or she is a member or creator of a committee, team, task-force, or any other activity involving collaboration among several people. The ideas are proven by several decades of experience and well-supported in the text with numerous examples.
In The Discipline of Teams, Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith explore the often counter-intuitive features that make up high-performing teams—such as selecting team members for skill, not compatibility—and explain how managers can set specific goals to foster team development. The result is improved productivity and teams that can be counted on to deliver more than just the sum of their parts. Since 1922, Harvard Business Review has been a leading source of breakthrough ideas in management practice. The Harvard Business Review Classics series now offers you the opportunity to make these seminal pieces a part of your permanent management library. Each highly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea that continues to shape best practices and inspire countless managers around the world.
