Coming soon · Book Profile
Designing team-based organizations new forms for knowledge work
A research-based guide to designing the entire organization—its structures, processes, and systems—to successfully support high-performing teams in complex knowledge work.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
While many organizations have embraced teams to improve performance, most find the transition daunting because simply creating teams is not enough. 'Designing Team-Based Organizations' argues that to truly succeed, the entire organization must be redesigned with a new, lateral logic. Drawing on over fifteen years of research and consulting with leading companies like Honeywell, HP, and Pfizer, the authors provide a field-tested, five-step framework for designing the structures, integration mechanisms, management roles, and support systems necessary for teams to thrive, particularly in complex knowledge-work settings. This practical guide moves beyond team dynamics to tackle the fundamental organizational design challenges, offering a systematic roadmap for managers, consultants, and leaders who are serious about building a truly effective team-based organization.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A manager, consultant, or human resources specialist whose organization has committed to using teams but is struggling to make them effective, feeling frustrated that the promise of higher performance is being blocked by the complexity of the transition.
- The problem
- The organization has formed teams, but they are underperforming due to coordination problems, conflicting priorities, and a lack of support from the existing hierarchical structure and systems. The reader feels exhausted, cynical, and overwhelmed, believing in the potential of teams but feeling like their efforts are being undermined by a system that isn't designed for collaboration.
- The plan
- Step One: Identify Work Teams based on an analysis of work processes, deliberations, and interdependencies.
- Step Two: Specify Integration Needs and design mechanisms (like cross-teams and liaisons) to link teams.
- Step Three: Clarify the new Management Structure and Roles required to support teams.
- Step Four: Design the critical Integration Processes for direction setting, communication, and decision making.
- Step Five: Redesign Performance Management processes for defining, developing, reviewing, and rewarding at the team and individual levels.
- The payoff
- The organization becomes a dynamic, laterally-oriented system where teams are highly effective and empowered. · Performance dramatically improves in speed, cost, quality, and innovation, creating a significant competitive advantage. · The reader feels competent and successful as a leader who has guided a complex but rewarding organizational transformation.
See our guide
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Additional reading
- The Organism · Kurt Goldstein
Maslow sources the term 'self-actualization' from Goldstein and builds upon his holistic view of the organism.
- Explorations in Personality · H. A. Murray, et al.
Cited as providing an 'excellent discussion' on the basic principle of centering motivation theory on goals rather than instigation or behavior.
- Social Interest · Alfred Adler
Maslow credits Adler and his followers for stressing the importance of the 'esteem needs,' which he felt were neglected by Freudian psychoanalysts.
- Wisdom of the Body · W. B. Cannon
Provides the foundational concept of 'homeostasis,' which Maslow uses as the starting point for his discussion of physiological needs.
- Multipliers · Liz Wiseman
Explores how leaders can either amplify ('multiply') or diminish ('diminish') the intelligence and capabilities of their teams, a key concept for creating a positive, low-anxiety environment.
- The Fearless Organization · Amy Edmondson
Provides the foundational research and practical steps for creating psychological safety, which the book identifies as crucial for reducing interpersonal anxiety and encouraging people to speak up.
- Mindset · Carol Dweck
Explains the difference between a 'growth mindset' and a 'fixed mindset,' which is presented as a key tool for helping employees manage perfectionism and see failures as learning opportunities.
- Crucial Conversations · Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al.
Recommended as a resource for employees to learn how to navigate difficult, high-stakes conversations, directly addressing the book's theme of moving from conflict avoidance to healthy debate.
- Better Allies · Karen Catlin
The author is quoted on specific, actionable steps for allyship, making her book a practical guide for implementing the principles in Chapter 7.
- Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People · Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Explains the science of implicit bias, which is central to the book's argument that leaders need to be proactive allies because 'not being racist/sexist' isn't enough.