Teams That Work: An Evidence-Based Guide to Effective Teamwork book cover

Teams That Work Summary

An Evidence-Based Guide to Effective Teamwork

Tannenbaum, Scott I. & Salas, Eduardo'
4.12(162 Reviews)

Teams That Work Summary Overview

Unlock the science of exceptional teamwork with "Teams That Work" - distilling 35+ years of research from NASA, healthcare, and military settings into seven evidence-based drivers. Ever wondered why some teams thrive under pressure while others crumble? This practical guide reveals what elite organizations already know.

Key Themes in the Teams That Work Summary

  • team effectiveness drivers
  • evidence-based collaboration
  • psychological safety
  • group coordination
  • shared mental models

Best Quotes from the Teams That Work Summary

  • Teamwork isn't separate from work-it is how work gets done effectively.

  • Groups of collaborators typically defeat groups of selfish individuals.

  • What matters is how team members work together, not whether they like each other personally.

  • Insufficient capability can doom a team to failure.

  • Teams that burn out members aren't truly effective.

Characters in the Teams That Work Summary

  • Scott I. TannenbaumAuthor and researcher of team effectiveness
  • Eduardo SalasAuthor and expert in organizational psychology
  • E.O. WilsonEvolutionary biologist cited on group collaboration
  • Richard HackmanResearcher who studied orchestra performance

About the Author

About the Author of Teams That Work

Scott Tannenbaum and Eduardo Salas, authors of Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness, are pioneering industrial-organizational psychologists who have collaborated for over 30 years, revolutionizing team dynamics.

Tannenbaum, President of The Group for Organizational Effectiveness, and Salas, Chair of Psychological Sciences at Rice University, have advised over 600 organizations, including NASA, Mayo Clinic, and Fortune 100 companies.

Their research, published in over 600 peer-reviewed articles cited over 100,000 times, forms the backbone of this evidence-based guide to optimizing cooperation, communication, and leadership in high-stakes environments from space missions to corporate boards.

Recipients of the APA Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Quality Forum’s Eisenberg Patient Safety Award, they translate cutting-edge behavioral science into actionable frameworks for leaders.

The book, grounded in their work with military, healthcare, and aerospace teams, has become a go-to resource for organizations worldwide seeking to implement their seven-driver model. Their insights have shaped team training protocols adopted by the U.S. Air Force, Google, and forward-deployed surgical units.

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