Groups

Rodney W. Napier is the Founder and CEO of The Napier Group, a management consultancy, and a former professor in The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Organizational Dynamics, where he taught courses in the Coaching Program. He also taught Executive Team Dynamics at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. He contributed to the formative years of the group dynamics movement and introduced the first prototype for 360-degree feedback. Floyd F. Quinn is Associate Professor of Practice in the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University, with extensive training in industry-organizational psychology, and thirty years of industry and government consulting and professional management experience. His research broadly focuses on environments that encourage individuals and groups to optimize performance.

The latest edition of this textbook provides a panoramic view of the structure, development, leadership, and management of teams that promote and deliver projects. The chapters successfully deal with relations, interactions, and communications within and beyond the team dynamics. The authors bridge the gap between theory and practice, giving readers a deeper knowledge of the key elements in forming an effective team based on the project context. The work addresses the acquisition of practical skills in bringing together and managing successful project teams. Nasrullah K. Khilji, University of West London

• Part I. Understanding Groups: 1. Introducing Groups and Setting the Stage for Further Discussion; 2. Selective Perception; 3. The Evolution of Groups. Part II. How Groups Function: 4. Norms, Group Pressures, and Deviancy; 5. Goals; 6. Communication. Part III. The Factors Influencing Group Success: 7. Membership; 8. Diversity and Inclusion; 9. Leadership; 10. Problem Solving and Decision Making; 11. Creativity and Design; 12. The Nature of Group Conflict. Part IV. Groups and the Organization: 13. A Systems View of Small Group Behavior; 14. Virtual Groups; 15. From Groups to Teams: The Evolution of Working Teams in Organization Life.