The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization (Collins Business Essentials)

Motorola relied heavily on teams to surpass its competition in building the lightest, smallest, and highest-quality cell phones. At 3M, teams are critical to meeting the company's goal of producing half of each year's revenues from the previous five years' innovations. Kodak's Zebra Team proved the worth of black-and-white film manufacturing in a world where color is king.

But many companies overtook the potential of teams in turning around tagging profits, entering new markets, and making exciting innovations happen -- because they don't know how to utilize teams successfully. Authors Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith talked with hundreds of people in more than thirty companies to find out where and how teams work best and how to enhance their effectiveness. They reveal:

• The most important element in team success
• Who excels at team leadership ... and why they are rarely the most senior people
• Why companywide change depends on teams ... and more

Comprehensive and proven effective, The Wisdom of Teams is the classic primer on making teams a powerful tool for success in today's global marketplace.

Jon R. Katzenbach is a founder of Katzenbach Partners, consultants in the areas of team, leadership, and workforce performance. His published works include Real Change Leaders, Teams at the Top, The Work of Teams, and Peak Performance. Mr. Katzenbach and Mr. Smith are both formerly of McKinsey & Company.

Douglas K. Smith is a leading consultant on organization, performance, and change. His published works include Make Success Measurable!, Taking Charge of Change, and Fumbling the Future: How Xerox Invented, Then Ignored, the First Personal Computer. Mr. Katzenbach and Mr. Smith are both formerly of McKinsey & Company.