Building the Team Organization: How To Open Minds, Resolve Conflict, and Ensure Cooperation

Description

Interdependence is a basic characteristic of organizations, yet it is only recently that managers, professionals, and employees have begun to appreciate that organizational success depends upon teamwork. This book provides managers, professionals, and employees with a concise and powerful understanding of productive teamwork in organizations.

Dean Tjosvold is Chair Professor of Management at Lingnan University, Hong Kong, and Director of the Cooperative Learning Center. Simon Fraser University awarded him a University Professorship for his research contributions. He has published over 200 articles and fifteen books on cooperation and competition, managing conflict, leadership and power. He is past president of the International Association of Conflict Management and has served on several editorial boards, including the Academy of Management Review and Journal of Organizational Behavior. He is a partner in his family health care business in Minnesota. Mary M. Tjosvold is the founder and CEO of Mary T. Inc., a family-owned organization that develops, owns, and manages rental housing, senior housing, human service programs, home health, and hospice services. She earned her Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of Minnesota and later completed the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. Since its beginning in 1976, Mary's various enterprises and companies have grown steadily and now have annual operating revenues in excess of $30 million with over 800 full- and part-time employees. Mary is an advocate and supporter of women in business and has been recognized in several publications as a leading Minnesota businesswoman. Active in community affairs, she serves on executive boards, and is past Chair of the Board of the American Refugee Committee. A leader in her field and a nationally known speaker, Mary T. has given presentations and conducted workshops on productive conflict, cooperation and competition, team organization, entrepreneurship, governance, ethics and corporate culture, and other topics for clients in diverse industries.

'Dean Tjosvold has been a major contributor to the understanding of teams and organizations through his original, important, theoretical and research publications. In this well-written book, he and Mary Tjosvold provide a brilliant and practical discussion of everything one would want to know about teams whether you are a social scientist, a practitioner, or simply a curious reader.' - V. Morton Deutsch, E.L. Thorndike Professor Emeritus of Psychology; Director Emeritus of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR) Teachers College, Columbia University "Finally, we have two scholars who offer us the critical perspective and management insights for developing an adaptive team organization that can lead the way in collaborating with the ever-evolving stakeholders of the 21st century, and in meeting the ever-pressing challenge of a teamwork economy in the foreseeable future." -Michael Y. K. Chan, Chairman, Cafe de Coral Group; Chairman, Business Enterprise Management Center, Hong Kong Management Association 'Cooperative goals and open-minded discussions are what Dean and Mary help us understand is what it takes to lead and be part of an extraordinary team, backed up by solid research their own and from other scholars, located in both the West and East, providing key universal insights and many very practical applications. Full of insightful and pragmatic do's and don'ts!' -Barry Z. Posner, PhD, Accolti Endowed Professor of Leadership, Dean (1997-2009) Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University; co-author of The Leadership Challenge "A perfect blend of seasoned academic wisdom and proactive hands-on management and leadership experience. The authors have themselves set a great example of a productive team by building a highly inspiring product an elegant model of teamwork to be adopted by enthusiastic team builders all over the world. " -Hasan Sarac, Business Consultant & Author or Management Consultant & Author, Turkey 'Building a Team Organization is full of great advice for making teamwork in organizations productive by emphasizing cooperative goals and open discussion. And importantly, all that advice is grounded in sound research, making the book a resource for both students and managers.' -Jeanne M. Brett, DeWitt W. Buchanan, Jr. Professor of Dispute Resolution and Negotiations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University