Teams That Work, A Book Review from an OD Lens

by Dr. Sandi Mills

Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness by Scott Tannenbaum and Eduardo Salas

In contrast to my last book review on a topic that I view as having the potential to be a superpower, yet one I critiqued for the barrier to actually put into practice-- THIS book-- Teams That Work (TTW)--is decidedly hands-on! Ease of use is baked in with obvious intention from the accessible format, e.g., audience-specific indexing and toolkits for immediate use!

I hate when ads tell me it’s a “must have” or “you need this,” so I’ll say this:

The Teams That Work book on team effectiveness is the quintessential guidebook for science-backed tips to address team challenges!

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If that doesn’t indicate utility, I don’t know what else might. ?

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Suffice it to say, I call the Teams That Work book the new teamwork bible! I can’t offer any higher praise than that. (My apologies in advance to anyone who finds this blasphemous.)

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Reading the TTW text helps the layman, the professional consultant, and all the way to the senior leader in precisely how to deftly improve team dynamics with prowess.

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??This book is a prized resource for organization development professionals!

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How I learned about it

I learned about the book by following the work of the lead author---Scott Tannenbaum. In a previous role working at a multinational healthcare organization, they procured a product called gOEbase from his company. It’s essentially a compilation of research-based tools to use off the shelf. Sidenote, I also highly recommend that tool- it’s incredibly useful to internal organization development practitioners.

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Later in transition, I researched his company for potential employment opportunities (because I have a thing for excellence), and low and behold, I found his (and his co-author’s) brilliant scientific wisdom wrapped in a book published by Oxford Press (only known for promoting excellence in research). Hence, my immediate purchase.

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Why is the book important?

?As we all have likely felt, more and more of our work is team-based. Yet, we also know, unfortunately, some teams, well, suck. I said it. I stick by it.

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Luckily, it turns out, like most of life’s enigmas, (thankfully) scientific investigation can significantly enhance clarity and effectiveness. The authors report a meta-analysis that states that team effectiveness can improve performance by as much as 25%.

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I found this attached image of the seven drivers themselves and their respective definitions. (Since it’s cited by one of the authors, fingers crossed it’s not copyrighted. Let me know if so).

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Yet, this brain-friendly 7 C's is only one critical area that makes this book so impressive (& comprehensive).

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What struck me as phenomenal (outside of the drivers) is the research. (As seen in my Amazon review) the authors cite not one, but several meta-analyses! *Gasp!

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Let me briefly explain—analyzing several studies, aka. meta-analysis, is a gift to the academic community. The heroes essentially convey that having reviewed all the germane studies on a topic, here’s the best of the best to know and utilize! (Gracias academics!)

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Additionally, TTW book is very utilitarian, set up like this:

?? Here’s what you really want to know upfront--in chapter 1-- what are the 7 drivers of team effectiveness?!

?? For all of you skeptics, ahem, deep thinkers, here’s the research and details of each of the drivers (middle chapters).

?? Then lastly, for business professionals who could care less about the details, here’s a role-specific chapter just for you on how you can personally help your team right now!

?? Bonus: here is an appendix of tools to aid your work!

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?? [Brain blown emoji]! It’s possibly one of the best formats, providing one of the best timely, needed resources I’ve seen-- for working professionals!

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Criticism

To be credible, I suppose I need to give cynics something…

The only criticism I came away with was a bit of a wish, so it’s constructive at least...

?I wish the authors had stated in a succinct quote what the financial gain would be when they recommend removing toxic money-making staff.

Yes, they made a strong case as to how ultimately detrimental toxic employees are. Still, as a consultant trying to persuade the c-suite about the acidic harm toxic, yet big money-making employees are, offering a cushy numerical figure to supplement would go a long way.

And I say wish, because I imagine if I were to go back and comb through the text, I may be able to compile the data I’m seeking…

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That said, as always, here is my go at the key takeaways for OD practitioners:

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Key Takeaways for an OD Practitioner

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1.??? The 7 C’s key drivers of team effectiveness are key to recognize. Yes, a few perhaps are what one would expect, e.g. communication and capability. Yet the research behind each, such as the impact of coordination, cognition (shared mental models), coaching (team/leadership behaviors) and conditions (enabling resources) are perhaps most beneficial to potentially affect change.

2.??? The rationale of teamwork significance on performance, encapsulated in the Five Team Myths and more importantly the inverse, the facts about teamwork, e.g., “you can be both a strong individual contributor and a strong team player and both can be career enhancing.”

3.??? Helping one’s clients understand the method by which to manage team conflict may be even more critical over the content of conflict itself and increasing one’s comfort with “constructive friction” aids in team performance and innovation-- skills to empower.

4.??? Yet, the need for friction or productive debate, leads to a key foundational revelation of team effectiveness -- the vital role that psychological safety plays in organizational effectiveness! This text offers ample substantiation for necessary enhancement of this “soft” skill.

5.??? Also, a related, less exciting, yet surprisingly critical high-impact contributor is the value of conducting effective team debriefs. This was mentioned throughout, with tips regarding frequency and “conveyance” (what the authors called ensuring one gets what the other is saying). The authors included a debriefing tool in the appendix to reinforce this competency!

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Honestly, as this is meant to be a “quick read” these five only scratch the surface of all that this body of team research offers an OD practitioner.

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And if I had more time, I’d delight in going on and on about it. It’s that good.

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?? NOTE--I just confirmed that lead author, Scott Tannenbaum will speak and field Q&A to ODinLA members in January! Join us to learn more for yourself!

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In summary, Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness has already become a go-to resource for my work. It may serve you or anyone seeking earnest team growth very well.

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