Part 1
Teams: Gimmicks, Fads, or the Real Stuff?

The history of management is loaded with fads. They come and go. Some are wild ideas—gimmicks, advocated by some charismatic guru. They have a brief moment in the sun and fade away as fast as they began.

Others, like Sensitivity Training, Management by Objectives, Reengineering, and Total Quality Management, have a longer life. They’re tried by many companies, are often successful, but sooner or later, the enthusiasm for them is lost.

Are teams a current fad or is the concept truly a sea change in the way organizations will be run as we enter the twenty-first century?

Only time will tell, but many organizations that have been using teams over the past several years have praised their value as a means of solving problems, improving processes, and promoting innovation.

Sure, some team efforts have failed. That’s to be expected with any human endeavor. Perhaps all that is needed to avoid failure and ensure success lies in the way the teams are organized, built, and operated.

Let’s take a look at what’s new about teams, why teams sometimes fail, and what can be done to get teams off the ground with a good chance of success.