Managing Groups and Teams

Groups are everywhere; whether in our social lives, our work, or even our families, individuals decide to work collectively to achieve particular goals. In this book, we take a challenge-based approach, one that focuses on the "how" of managing a group or a team.

1. About this Book
   1. Introduction
2. Internal Group Processes
   1. Cohesion
      1. How can teams create and maintain cohesion?
      2. Which attributes are fundamental to team cohesion?
   2. Communication
      1. What leads to effective team communication?
   3. Conflict
      1. How can teams deal with conflicts?
   4. Feedback in Teams
   5. Motivation
      1. What is motivation?
      2. What are the drawbacks of non-motivated teams?
      3. How does motivation affect teams' dynamics?
      4. Does the experience or position of a team member changes the motivational tools needed to motivate that person?
   6. Motivation In Teams
      1. Motivation in a Group and Team Environment
      2. Motivation in Challenging Group and Team Environments
   7. Inclusion
      1. How can teams ensure their participation?
   8. Groupthink
   9. Stereotyping
3. Composition Issues in Teams
   1. Diversity (General)
      1. What does diversity bring to team?
   2. Diversity in Personality
      1. Achieving High Performance Through Diverse Personalities
   3. Similarities (General)
      1. Filling Necessary Team Roles with a Highly Homogenous Team
   4. Working in International Teams
   5. Social Loafing
      1. What is social loafing, and how can it be addressed?
4. Process Losses
   1. How our unconscious biases affect the way we manage and interact with teams.
5. Leadership in Teams
   1. Establishing Leadership
      1. Credibility
         1. How can leaders establish credibility?
      2. Leadership Transitions
         1. What is the best way to manage leadership transitions?
      3. New Leaders
         1. What are the basic roles that a new team leader needs to know?
         2. What are some of the key roles a manager needs to take on to be effective?
         3. What are the best options for arranging a team and assigning team role?
         4. What relationship aspects can be defined in advance to assure success?
   2. What should a New Leader do when entering into an existing team?
   3. Enacting Leadership
      1. Leadership Roles and Concerns
         1. How can leaders establish a balance between management and leadership?
         2. What are characteristics of effective team leadership?
         3. What are the differences between dictatorship and leadership?
         4. What is the relationship between leadership and discipline?
      2. Poor Leadership
         1. How can members deal with poor leadership?
6. Virtual Teams
   1. Managing Global Virtual Teams
      1. How should global virtual teams be managed?
   2. Building Virtual Teams
      1. How can members build high-performing virtual teams?
7. Team Building: Techniques, Principles, and Methods
   1. Stages of Group Development
      1. How does group development foster effective team building?
   2. Group Dynamics
      1. What is a team?
      2. How can teams create positive group dynamics?
      3. Problems that hinder good group dynamics.
   3. Psychological Profiling
      1. What place does psychological profiling have in team building?
   4. Team Building Activities
      1. What are the different kinds of effective team building activities available?
8. Additional Resources
   1. Glossary
   2. Resources
   3. Noted Contributors
   4. Question Page