Recent polls indicate that the number of traditional employees who work from home has grown exponentially; about 3% of employees work from home at least part of the time. In addition, about one third of the workforce is “independent,” whether they are contractors, freelancers, or self-employed. Many of these independent workers work remotely (not in Read More >

A 2009 data analysis published in the journal “Small Group Research” examined 103 team-building studies over 50 years’ time. Businesses that made a conscious effort to enhance and fortify relations among team members showed measurable positive effects in company cultures and bottom lines. The key to making team building activities effective? Avoiding awkward and invasive Read More >

A few years ago, a client of mine was leading the marketing department of a major financial services firm: high profile, internationally respected brand.  Many of his people worked long hours and some traveled quite extensively. Yet, no one ever seemed to mind. In fact, there was always an energetic buzz about them. The group Read More >

The leadership team is one of the, if not the most important component of an organization. Collectively, members of this group determine where the organization is going and how it is going to get there. Yet, the percentage of leadership teams operating at dysfunctional levels is staggering. Back in 2007, 42 percent of senior leadership teams were Read More >

Talent Audits Team talent audits are usually done during team formation, but they’re perhaps an even more effective tool to use when a team has gone stale or floundered in its mission. Effective teams need to capitalize on the strengths and weaknesses of members as those capabilities relate to achieving the goals of the team. Read More >

High levels of Trust and Productivity are intricately linked. You can have one or the other independently, however to maximize team performance you must have both. And it’s not just a matter of trusting one another. Every team member must “buy in” to the mission of the team. Why is this particular group of individual being asked to work Read More >

Teamwork. We hear about it all the time. Our business-speak is littered with “team” jargon. The term “teamwork” is so overused that it has all but lost its meaning. In your organization the word team may describe the entire company, self-selecting groups of individuals, or subsets of key individuals who have been identified to solve Read More >

The trend toward an organizational “no complaining” rule is gaining popularity, so in this issue we will look at how and why companies are enlisting this rule as the bedrock of cultural change in their organization. Why do people complain? Usually for one of two reasons: (1) because it has become a habit and (2) Read More >

Are successful leaders going to excel, regardless of the times in which they lead? Some may say yes. After all, Jack Welch lead General Electric through both solid and turbulent times, right? But hold on a moment. Many executives have been stumped stumped (and many of them have later failed) when trying to maneuver through Read More >

By Carl Robinson, Ph.D., © 2009 Forget team building ropes courses or wilderness adventures if you want to build a top team. Yes, they bring people together, they usually are fun and people feel great afterward. But, the transferable carry over learning lasts about three minutes once people get back into the work place and Read More >