Title
Training for team building
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1990
Department
Management
Abstract
The US became an economic power by encouraging managers to be directive and even autocratic, but now, employee commitment must become more important than control and compliance. In recent years, organizations have used small work teams as a basic tool for reenergizing workforces and gaining employee commitment. Many strategies are needed to transform a traditionally run organization into a team-oriented one. One popular approach is to provide training, which can be the key to the development of a team concept, although certain deficiencies are apparent in the typical team-training approaches. Some flaws in training for team concept include: 1. confusing team building with teamwork, 2. viewing teams as closed systems, 3. starting team training without assessing team needs, 4. treating team building as a Japanese management technique, 5. assuming that teams are basically alike, 6. treating team building as a program rather than a process, and 7. not holding teams accountable for what they learn in team training. Training can move teams toward greater effectiveness, thereby reestablishing the corporate US as a primary economic power.
Citation
Huszczo, G. E. (1990). Training for team building. Training and Development Journal, 44(2), 37–43.