New book from Rice psychologist outlines the essentials of teamwork

Now more than ever, teamwork is critical in today’s workplace, but it does not come naturally, according to a Rice organizational psychologist.

Eduardo Salas, the Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Chair and professor of psychology, set out to write a simple, practical, well-designed and stringent guide on how to design, deliver, implement, evaluate and ensure the transfer of team training.

His new book, “Team Training Essentials,” succinctly outlines best practices for team training, as based on the latest organizational psychology research.

“Teamwork matters not only because it drives organizational productivity, innovation and overall well-being, but because many times, people’s lives depend on effective teamwork,” Salas said.

The book is organized into five pillars, which cover all aspects of the training process:

• Ensure the need for teamwork behaviors and team training.
• Create a positive team training climate for learning and the learner.
• Design team training for maximum accessibility, usability and learnability.
• Evaluate the team training program.
• Create a system for enduring and sustaining teamwork behaviors in organizations.

“Truly, this was an effort to translate a large body of knowledge – including what we know about good learning, training design, team effectiveness and teamwork – into practical guidance,” Salas said.

He said the book could be useful for anyone studying team dynamics and performance as well as group training, or professionals looking to apply team training practices in real business settings.

“Teamwork is not instinctive,” Salas said. “It is rare, hard, elusive, multidimensional and episodic. Accordingly, team members must develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that contribute to effective teamwork. This is where team training has a critical role.”

The book was published by the Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group. More information is available at http://bit.ly/1SOMuJt.