Customer Reviews

The New Why Teams Don't Work: What Goes Wrong and How to Make It Right

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I was first introduced to Robbins & Finley, when I purchased a copy of the audiotape version of the original Why Teams Don't Work a couple of years ago (the book itself was out of print at the time). Like many others, I found the title compelling. Among the endless list of books touting teams as the pancea for all organizational problems, here was a book that provided a fresh, honest look at teams and their all-too-human members.

For those who have never been exposed to the original book, you are in for a real treat! In this new version, Robbins & Finley present the real-life lessons of teamwork that most of us have learned the hard way with all the wit and social satire of a Mark Twain novel. For those that have experienced the original book, you will find all of the wit and wisdom of the original plus some delightful new insights into human behavior in teams. The section on team myths alone is worth purchasing the new book.

I highly recommend the book to team members everywhere who struggle in the trenches to get their teams on track while juggling the performance demands of today's fast moving organizations. As Robbins and Finley point out, teams are a natural vehicle for human accomplishment but effective teams don't happen by accident. Or, as Forrest Gump might say, "Bubba told me a lot about teamwork, but you know what I learned, teamwork is hard."

The book may not turn your current team around, but it will certainly give you the insight to understand what went wrong and how to make it right next time.

I started off with a great deal of hope for this book, and nearly finished with it I am very disappointed. If I would have sat down before I read this book and listed some common sense principles related to teams, I would have put down about 90% of the concepts in this book. That doesn't necessairly bother me about this book, because business isn't always rocket science. The problem is the book is long on fluffy discussions, and short on the nuts and bolts aspect. What studies support their assertions, what does the research say about teams? Even beyond that, give me some ideas for how to accomplish what you say about teams. Give some kind of practical use, or practical application of your theories. I think what was the final straw for me, was when they began rehashing some basic motivational theories withouth mentioning them by name, or even fully discussing them. This book tries to be a lot more than its title proclaims it to be, or it is capable of being. Robbins is a psychologist, who I thought would really be able to add some understanding to what goes on in teams. Unfortunately, that is all but absent from this book. Finley, appears to be one of the dime-a-dozen business writers who reword common concepts and try to resell them. Most of the book winds up blaming management for the cause of team failure instead of helping people become more effective teammates. I usually stick to reading books about specific companies, because those contain real world examples and are usually written by much more credible sources. I strayed in this case, and got burned. Hopefully you won't. If you have an MBA, skip this book, you have already heard it.

Teams have been touted as efficient, creative and able to innovate quickly for many years now. In this flood of books, articles and teamwork guru's, many organizations have been changing their organizational structure from traditional managerial hierarchies to team-based work. Unfortunately, teams don't always bring the results that management was hoping for. Why not?

Authors Harvey Robbins and Michael Finley say that there are many reasons why teams may not be working, but the principle one is that managers have forgotten that teams are made up of human beings. A team is not a piece of machinery that can be assembled and then turned on. It is a collection of human beings with all their various faults, ambitions, and insecurities, who are attempting to work together. Using teams does not mean that leadership is no longer required. Teams need to be led, motivated and nurtured. The strength of teams is creative, an opportunity to bring the expertise of many different people together to reach a common goal. When teams are used simply as cost-cutting devices to replace middle management, this primary strength of teams is being ignored.

Here is some of the advice the authors have for building and maintaining successful teams:
· Make sure the team members remain focused on the common goal.
· Make sure that the goal is clear to everyone and attainable in small steps.
· Make sure the team knows who their customer is.
· Make sure the roles of different team members are clear, and everyone knows who is responsible who which decisions.
· Listen to the concerns and conflicts of all team members. Take action to address their concerns.

In The New Why Teams Don't Work: What Goes Wrong And How To Make It Right, Harvey Robbins and Michael Finley effectively collaborate to explain how to work with others to make decisions, stay in budget, and achieve team goals. They also reveal how to get hidden agendas on the table, clarify individual roles, learn what team members expect and want form each other, and to choose the right decision-making process for the task at hand. This updated and revised edition of The New Why Teams Don't Work features a new section on team leadership which explores the necessary qualities and skills a leader must have; new concepts for addressing team problems such a boundary management; an in depth examination of "team of one" mentality and how to eliminate it; an expanded definition of teams that sees teams and their problems everywhere; the myths of teams and why a sports team is a fitting metaphor or template for like a business team. The New Why Teams Don't Work is very highly recommended and informative reading for anyone charged with the responsibility of team leadership, membership, or management.

The insights that Robbins and Finley present are applicable in any area where people must work together toward a common goal. As an educator, I plan to share them with my fellow faculty members.

Of teams and families it might be said, "Each is dysfunctional in its own special way." Today's corporate litany states that to succeed we must learn to cooperate more closely. The testing ground for this idea becomes trendy "cross-functional teams" or task forces. Here, antisocial tendencies and hidden agendas are sprinkled across meeting-room tables like dragon's teeth, springing up to mortally wound the best interests of your organization. The good news is that you can do something to help your organization's teams operate more effectively. Robbins and Finley are a couple of skilled veterans who say that "trust is the blood of teams." If you believe better teamwork is critical to your company's future, we think you will find the lessons in this book absolutely essential - whether you're a member of a team or the leader who serves them.

Finley and Robbins come to grips with the most fundamental question, how can we continue to cooperate in a predatory economy even when we're on the same team. Everyone who works with others will find something useful here.

Robbins and Finley are highly witty and intelligent. They know their subjects and address them well. This is the first business book that has made me laugh out loud. Having experience as a team leader, I know these truths of which they speak. They offer very real solutions to very real problems.

Great read for teams and team leaders!

I found a fresh perspective on teams and teamwork in "Why Teams Don't Work". This book is filled with common sense rather than jargon and buzz words. It's a wonderfull change from the run-of-the-mill business school fare. I highly recommend it!

A.Veldey - Team Coordinator - Honeywell, International

Read Chapter 5 on "misplaced goals, confused objectives," and you'll start getting a good handle on where most team problems lie. How many of us really understand what Demming meant when he stated that a good goal is not a number? The authors do. They know that a good goal is something that brings out passion. A good goal gives people something to respond to, buy into, claim ownership over. This is not a happy talk book about teams. With all the things that can go wrong with teams, and do, it's surprising they work at all. "Teams are trouble." Having this book available on your reference shelf will help you handle and minimize the inevitable missteps the next time you're asked to serve on a team, or lead it.