When Teams Work Best.

When Teams Work Best Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001. 221 pages.

DRAWING ON A WIDER DATABASE than the earlier best-seller, TeamWork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong (1989), this latest book by La Fasto and Larson identifies principles of

teamwork success, as well as common pitfalls observed in less successful teams. The authors also build on their previous work by examining interactions not only within teams but between teams, an increasingly frequent occurrence, they note. In addition, they consider the special challenges that accompany cross-functional and executive teams. Solidly researched and focused on essential questions that team members and leaders need to address, LaFasto and Larson's latest book can serve as an ideal resource for teaching collaboration skills.

The empirical basis for the book--research with approximately 600 teams and 6,000 team members over a period of 15 years--integrates and extends previous studies significantly. With this scope of research, readers can have confidence in the authors' conclusions. Findings are not based simply on the authors' personal experiences, but on verifiable data. While it is true that the authors use interesting anecdotes to illustrate their points, their points are always based on research findings and are often expressed in the team members' own words, cited by team number from the database. Because the teams studied range from business, to government, to non-profit organizations, and represent an assortment of sizes and levels of responsibility, the authors' conclusions are broadly applicable. The authors strengthen these conclusions by citing widespread agreement with other, less comprehensive studies on teams ranging from the 1940s to the present (for example, Leiter & Maslach, 1988; Brannick, Roach, & Salas, 1993; Bennis, 1997).

Strengths

When Teams Work Best answers the key questions about teamwork: What makes a good team member? What concrete steps can be taken to improve team member relationships? How can teams solve problems together? What makes a good team leader? And what kind of organizational environment fosters teamwork? In answering these questions, the authors provide practical advice for both team members and leaders.

The research and practical emphasis make When Teams Work Best an ideal resource for teaching collaboration skills. LaFasto and Larson provide both a rationale and a roadmap for business communication students to become better team members. The reason teachers often give for making students work in groups is accurate: team situations are common in the real world. However, the skill of teamwork is often covered only briefly or sometimes not at all in business communication classes (Vik, 2001). Students are frequently required to produce documents as a team without receiving the training to do so (Vik, 2001).

This illogical situation can be traced to two assumptions: 1) Students have received teamwork training in other classes; or 2) Students innately possess teamwork skills. The first assumption may not be true for all, or even most, students. Business communication is usually taught as a second- or third-year course, and students may not take classes that include teamwork training until later in their coursework, if at all. Even when students have received previous instruction in teamwork, they need help in connecting what they have already learned to the communication projects they will be required to complete in class and in the workplace.

The second assumption, that teamwork is a skill students innately possess, is similar to the myth of the "born writer," something writing teachers have been battling for many years. When Teams Work Best validates previous findings that teamwork is a skill that can be significantly improved. Business communication teachers may feel there is not enough time to cover teamwork skills; however, teams trained in teamwork are much more likely to succeed than untrained teams (Bacon, Stewart, & Silver, 1999). Spending a few weeks or even days of a course on teamwork skills will help students deal with problems they will encounter in their group projects in class and later in the workplace (Vik, 2001). In addition, students will better recognize both the benefits and obstacles to teamwork through their own experience.

When Teams Work Best can serve as an outstanding resource, not only because of its solid research but also because of its easy accessibility. The book succeeds in its design as a practical handbook for team leaders and team members. To follow their own advice for team effectiveness, the authors limit their focus to five main areas and rank them in order of importance. In their words, "We think you'll do well if you can remember and attend to two or three of them" (xxv). Chapters are designed to be read in succession but can also be read or re-read independently. Each chapter contains concrete steps team leaders and members can take to improve their team's effectiveness. Charts and worksheets are provided to help team members and leaders reach their objectives step by step.

Some Considerations

One minor flaw in the accessibility of the book is the difficulty encountered when locating references. As already noted, the authors have meticulously cited other research in relation to their findings. However, this information is difficult to find: the page headers include the chapter title but not the chapter number, while the endnotes, which are organized by chapter, include the chapter number but not the chapter title. The result is that the reader must flip pages to find the chapter number before tracking down the endnote references. Aside from this oversight, the book is otherwise well organized and includes a good index.

There are a few other minor concerns as well. Global business teams are mentioned just once in the book in a reference to other research, with the predictable comment that good communication on these teams has been linked to positive outcomes. No acknowledgement of the special intercultural challenges these teams may encounter is made, and no specific advice to them is given. In light of the number of global teams and organizations currently operating, this omission is significant.

As an example of the book's mono-cultural approach, the authors' "Connect Model" helps team members take steps to verbally commit to their relationship, identify and acknowledge a problem issue together, and work out differences. The method for carrying out these steps is direct, explicit, one-on-one conversation. Although, as the authors note, this model has been proven, it assumes US values and customs and may not work well across cultures. For instance, in cultures where meaning is communicated less by explicit statements and more by what is done within a specific context, overt assertions may be offensive (Hall, 1989). Commitment to a relationship in these cultures may be made in non-verbal ways; thus, asking a team member to commit verbally may imply that he or she has not shown commitment in other ways. Similarly, in cultures where "face" is important, directly stating someone else's weaknesses would likely make the relationship worse, not better. And in cultures more collective than the US's, narrowing the improvement of a relationship to one issue or even to one person may imply that other issues or relationships are not as important to the team's well being (Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 2000). Cultural differences also apply to other recommendations in the book, such as the role of the effective team leader, the behavior of a good team member, and the ideal environment for teamwork.

Of course, it would be unrealistic for LaFasto and Larson to address every culture in their study (a possible area for further research); but the pervasiveness of international teams in business requires them to acknowledge the potential existence of intercultural differences in teams and put their book in context: Where was the research performed, and who does it apply to? By clarifying the limits of their study, the authors would avoid implying that their findings and methods are universally applicable.

Conclusion

The few shortcomings of When Teams Work Best recede when compared to the authors' unprecedented research and expert presentation. The study addresses a myriad of roles and situations, from individual team members, to team relationships, to team problem solving, to team leadership and organizational environment. The practical bent of the book means it is readable, down-to-earth, and easy to use. The organization of When Teams Work Best allows for flexibility: the content can be covered chapter by chapter or piecemeal. Each chapter contains activities that can be done inside or outside of class. The book is also relatively inexpensive (and short) and would not add a great time- or money-burden to a course. Business communication teachers and students will find it a valuable resource for improving teamwork abilities and may find themselves referring to it long after the course has been completed. Those who have already benefited from LaFasto and Larson's previous work will be pleased with this extension and refining of their earlier research.

References

Bacon, D. R., Stewart, K. A., & Silver, W S. (1999). Lessons from the best and worst student team experiences: How a teacher can make the difference. Journal of Management Education, 23 (5), 467-488.

Bennis, W. (1997). Organizing genius: The secrets of creative collaboration. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Brannick, M.T., Roach, R.M., & Salas, E. (1993). Understanding team performance: A multimethod study. Human Performance, 9(4), 287-308.

Hall, E. T. (1989). Beyond culture. New York: Doubleday.

Hampden-Turner, C., & Trompenaars, F. (2000). Building cross-cultural competence. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Leiter, M.P., & Maslach, C. (1988). The impact of interpersonal environment on burnout and organizational commitment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 9(4), 297-308.

Vik, G. N. (2001). Doing more to teach teamwork than telling students to sink or swim. Business Communication Quarterly, 64(4),112-19.

Jim Melton

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces