Using engaging case studies and testimonials from both successful and failed teams—ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the U.S. Army to high school sports—the authors explain the dynamics of teams both in great detail and with a broad view. Their conclusions and prescriptions span the familiar to the counterintuitive:

• Commitment to performance goals and common purpose is more important to team success than team building.
• Opportunities for teams exist in all parts of the organization.
• Real teams are the most successful spearheads of change at all levels.
• Working in teams naturally integrates performance and learning.
• Team “endings” can be as important to manage as team “beginnings.”