Making the Team: A Guide for Managers

Team Context

The team context includes the larger organizational setting within which the team does its work, the design of the team in terms of its internal functioning, and the culture of the team. High performance teams cannot be created through simple instruction or exhortation. Instead, there are a number of organizational conditions that, when in place, increase the likelihood that a team's work will be successful (Hackman, 1990). In part, this means that the team relies on the organization to provide resources, funding, individuals for membership, and so on. In chapter 1, we stated that teams operate in a social context, which shapes and confines behavior. As we discuss in parts II and III, the team leader must not only think about the ...