Under construction!
We're working on an English translation of 'Leve het team' (Long live the Team)
We're working on an English translation of 'Leve het team' (Long live the Team)
Group dynamics can drive managers crazy. What goes on in the undercurrent of a team anyway, especially when things are not going well?
This unconventional book explains Systems-Centered® Training (SCT® for short) using a “management novel” approach that follows a fictional team through stages of group development. Its core method, SCT, offers a theory-based, systematic approach to understanding how teams develop in terms of performance and work climate.
LONG LIVE THE TEAM takes the reader through the story of the team of Hugo, an experienced manager with the task of winning a large contract bid. Previously, he experienced clashes in his teams. This time, he wants a well-functioning team and decides to work with an SCT team coach.
The reader closely follows the work team’s development. Part of each of the twenty chapters is devoted to describing team dynamics through the SCT lens. We see how the team learns to use mutual differences to achieve its goal.
Narrative Summary:
In its first phase, the team learns basic SCT skills (Ch. 1-6) to recognize and weaken escape behaviors (Ch. 7-8) and harness its fighting energy for the cause rather than lashing out at each other (Ch. 9-11). The team learns to recognize and weaken mutual role patterns that may stabilize coping but cause creativity to go underground (Ch. 13). Finally, the team learns to recognize the authority issue and deal more productively with the leaders of the team (Ch. 14-15).
In the second phase, the team takes steps toward working together. It has learned to appreciate mutual differences, direct them towards the goal, and becomes enchanted by its strengths (Ch. 16-17). The enchantment subphase is followed by the disillusionment subphase with a setback. The team also learns to cope with this and recovers (Ch. 18).
The final phase is about integration. The team understands how to work and play to reach its goals (Ch. 19-20).