BIONIC eTeamwork [Hardcover]

Jaclyn Kostner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

The age of co-located teams is dead. Instead of working with the people down the hall, we now work with people whose locations span the globe. To achieve real success, companies can't just plug into the new technology. They must learn how to collaborate effectively when people are not in one place. They must create fast, cohesive, Bionic eTeamwork from afar-the next wave of virtual teamwork. Armed with new technology and new methods, eTeams allow companies to break the speed of light.

One of the world's leading experts on virtual teamwork, Jaclyn Kostner, takes readers step-by-step through the process of creating fast, effective, Bionic eTeams that use technology's power to extend their human capability and touch. Kostner notes: "Being on the same e-mail system doesn't make a team. People make a team. Communication makes a team. Trust makes a team." In BIONIC eTeamwork, Kostner includes best practices from SAS Airlines, Dow Chemical, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and more.

BIONIC eTeamwork teaches: the three-step evolution to bionic eteamwork; four key ways to transition your team quickly to bionic eteamwork; best practices for creating trust in teams that communicate virtually; moments of truth to enhance a leader's power to guide behavior from afar; three kinds of emotion that build a sense of team, even from across the globe.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Consultant and author Kostner (Knights of the Tele-Round Table) prescribes a plan for companies with international teams. Effective use of e-mail, cell phones and teleconferencing requires planning and innovation. For example, workers scheduling conference calls must consider time differences. Likewise, people should make their home or cell phone numbers available for colleagues in different time zones. Kostner also stresses the need to use the most suitable 24/7 technology. End-of-chapter checklists with action steps for team leaders and members are quite helpful.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Virtual teams have technology around them. Bionic eTeams embrace technology’s power to extend human capability and human touch.

Communication best practices that worked when teams worked in one building are too slow and ineffective in a world that demands a continual stream of record-breaking results. The key to success isn’t just to plug in or log-on to some new technology. Instead, it centers on the human side: How people embrace and use technology’s power to create fast teamwork, fast collaboration, and fast results—from wherever in the world people happen to be communicating.

With Bionic eTeamwork—based on author Jaclyn Kostner’s cutting-edge workshop series delivered to clients such as IBM, Agilent, Nokia, and many others—people will excel at creating fast, cohesive eTeamwork—the next evolution of collaborative teamwork worldwide.

Jaclyn Kostner, one of the world’s leading experts on virtual teamwork, shows leaders and teams a step-by-step process to create fast, effective, Bionic eTeamwork. Says Kostner, “Being on the same e-mail system doesn’t make a team. People make a team. Communication makes a team. Trust makes a team.”

Kostner includes best practices from SAS Airlines, Dow Chemical, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, IBM, Merrill-Lynch, and many more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Business (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793148340
• ISBN-13: 978-0793148349
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,785,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We have the technology, October 9, 2001

By 

William Pittman (Canton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIONIC eTeamwork (Hardcover)

Dr. Kostner latest book, Bionic eTeamwork is much different from her last one, Knights of a Teleround Table. In the last one she wrote a business novel about King Arthur mentoring someone across time on virtual teams. A quick and entertaining read, it delivered a good message, but lacked the practical application I look for.

In her new book, Bionic eTeamwork, she has abandoned the business novel and gone to telling stories of successful eteams that have really achieved extraordinary results. Her theme is similar (the importance of the human element), but she seems a lot more inclusive of the technology. As she states at the beginning "we have the technology" ala Steve Austin and she goes on to tell us we need to humanize the way we use it.

I'm more of a left brained person so let me tell you what I really like about this book. Whenever I go through a business book I like to highlight it and then I pull all the highlights out and type them out for later review (sort of my own cliffnotes). Almost every page has a a sentence or two of an important statement on the margin in a grey box. Basically she has done it for me. Just by reading this you get the jist of what the message is and after you've read the book, you've got a quick review.

The message is still keep the humanity going, but she has added some features I really found useful. Almost every chapter has one or more summaries entitled "Things you can do today to..." or "eteamwork Checklist." From these we get such suggestions as "Designate a technology champion" to "stop trying to collaborate by e-mail with attachments. Those methods are in the Dark Ages. Get up to speed with Adobe Acrobat Exchange." In summary, you have a quick easy read with a lot of practical advice.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars bionic teamwork puts heart into technology, November 2, 2001

By 

Paula Noonan (Littleton, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIONIC eTeamwork (Hardcover)

Bionic eTeamwork carves new ground for me. Dr. Kostner has proven herself knowledgeable and well connected, given the array of businesses who have shared their stories with her. Her access to how teams in the virtual age have succeeded is very useful.

Her main point is: technology without the human element can never reach its potential. But if we merge human priorities with technology, you can achieve the "super" leverage of the bionic. Not all of us will be Steve Austins, obviously, but we can certainly use this book to make our team collaborations much more effective -- faster.

Another significant point is the challenge of speed - how can distance teams work as fast as teams sitting within the same conference room? Dr. Kostner shows how distance teams can achieve at least the same speed of decision making and collaboration as on site groups - and may even work with greater productivity.

Dr. Kostner's style is well paced - she gives down to earth, doable guidance. This is a must read for leaders and team contributors who are looking to up their own ante in terms of their collaboration and team effectiveness.