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Michael Beyerlein University0/North Texas, Denton. Texas, UnitedStates Those of us in the process of advanced maturation are regularly called upon to the historical development ofcurrent practice and understanding ofwork teams is broad in scope emerging from a complex mix of historical sources. I am not aware of a published source that represents that history comprehensively; full treatment may require multiple publications. There are excellent sources that present useful coverage ofsome components ofthat history, such as the three anthologies that Trist and his colleagues edited for the Tavistock Institute between 1992 and 1997 (Trist, Emery, & Murray, 1997; Trist, & Murray, 1990; Trist, Murray, & Trist, 1993), sections of Kleiner's 1996 book on the history of organization development (OD), biographical works on the thought leaders, occasional collections (e. g. , Davis & Taylor's Design ofJobs: Selected Readings, 1972; Susman's Autonomy at Work: A Socio-technical analysis of Participative Management, 1976; Pasmore & Sherwood's Socio-technical Systems: A Sourcebook, 1978; Pasmore, Francis, Haldeman, & Shani's Socio-technical systems, 1982: A North American reflection on empirical studies of the seventies; Glaser's Classic Readings in Se/f-Managing Teamwork, 1992; and French, Bell, & Zawacki's Organization Development and Transformation: Managing Effective Change, 1994), and occasional chapters and articles scattered throughout the literature on teams and organization design and change. This book consists of chapters that deliberately focus on key historical developments of work teams. The chapters were all written specifically for this book.
List of contents
Section I. Evolving Ideas and Theories.- Historic Roots of Team Theory and Practice.- Work Teams Research.- History of Cell-Based Manufacturing.- The Human Relations Myth Unveiled.- The Evolution of Open Systems to the 2 Stage Model.- Section II. An Appreciative Look at Some Major Thinkers.- Kurt Lewin.- Socio-Technical Systems Approach to Work Team Design.- Deutsch's Theory of Cooperation and Competition.- Allan Mogensen (1901-1989).- Modern Socio-Technology.- Section III. Developing Work Teams Around the World.- Work Teams in Australia.- Three Kinds of Autonomy at Work in Norway.- Group Fabrication to Self-Designing Work Teams.- Group Work Concepts in Germany.- The Formation of Work Teams in Russia.- Yugoslav Self-Management.- When the Teams Came Marching Home.- A History of Teams.- Functions and Emergence of New Work Organizations at Toyota Takahiro Fujimoto.- Section IV. Foundation of 21st Century Teams.- Self-Managing Teams in a Crystal Ball.- Teams in Organizations.
Summary
Placing work team practices in historical context, this book presents theories and cases which describe autonomous work groups, self-managed work teams, cell teams, and other collaborative work structures.
