In the university initiative described in this article, a series of project teams were funded to work on a variety of collaborative projects. The focus of this piece is on the framework that was developed and executed to select, support, and evaluate these teams. The framework is explained and described using data gathered throughout the study and…

People in organizations are increasingly called upon to serve as small group facilitators or to assist in this role. This article uses data collected from practicing facilitators at three points of time and a building block process of collection, analysis, further collection, and consolidation to develop and refine a list of competencies. A…

As commonplace as teams are in today's organizations, so too are the frustrations reported by members of many teams. Some of this frustration may be attributed to the lack of organizational support for team efforts. In this article, we draw on Kolb's components of clear direction and accountability, appropriate staffing and training, adequate…

Argues that some elements of structure are essential if organizations, and teams working within these organizations, are to achieve their goals. Provides an overview of two aspects of structure that are necessary in team-centered organizations: an internal facilitative structure appropriate for each team's specific needs, and an organizational…

This article describes one university's approach to developing collaborative alliances within the university and between members of the university community and stakeholders in the community. As this five-year initiative moved from Phase 1, the internal component, to Phase 11, the external component, training was offered to members of funded…

Shows that self-assessments of leader performance were more favorable than assessments by team members for 12 of 13 measured dimensions of leader behavior. Finds agreement of leader strengths and weaknesses, but less agreement of the effect of specific leader behaviors on team performance. (SR)

This study examined leadership in 16 research and 16 nonresearch teams in various manufacturing, aerospace, and health services companies. It concluded that research team leaders need to be able to fulfill a public relations or boundary management role. Engineering research teams, however, showed leadership patterns suggesting different needs for…