The team, rather than the individual, is increasingly seen as the building block of organizations and a key source of competitive advantage. Despite this, not enough is understood about how to build successful teams in modern organizations.

The Essentials of Teamworking broadens this understanding by offering a selection of key chapters on teamwork from the International Handbook of Organizational Teamwork and Cooperative Working. This concise paperback edition reveals the complexity of teamwork and offers empirically based guidance on how teamwork can be effectively developed in modern organizations.

Bringing together leading international scholars, The Essentials of Teamworking offers challenging perspectives on teamwork that will inform future research and practice. It is an invaluable resource for professionals, researchers and students alike.

Michael A. West is Professor of Organizational Psychology and Head of Research at Aston Business School. He graduated from the University of Wales in 1973 and received his PhD in 1977. He then spent a year working in the coal mines of South Wales before beginning his academic career. He has authored, edited or co-edited 14 books including Effective Teamwork (2004, Blackwell), the first edition of which has been translated into 12 languages, The Secrets of Successful Team Management (2004, Duncan Baird), Developing Team Based Organisations (2004, Blackwell), the International Handbook of Organizational Teamwork and Cooperative Working 2003, Wiley), Effective Top Management Teams (2001, Blackhall), Developing Creativity in Organizations (197, BPS), and the Handbook of Workgroup Psychology (1996, Wiley). He has also published over 150 articles for scientific and practitioner publications, as well as chapters in scholarly books. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association (APA), the APA Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and the royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. His areas of research interest are team and organizational innovation and effectiveness, particularly in relation to the Organisation of health services.

Dean Tjosvold is Chair Professor of Management, Lingnan University in Hong Kong. After graduating from Princeton University, he earned his Master's Degree in History and his Ph.D. in the social psychology of organization at the University of Minnesota, both in 1972. He has taught at Pennsylvania State University, Simon Fraser University, and was visiting professor at the National University of Singapore in 1983-84, the State University of Groningen in The Netherlands, 1991-92, Hong Kong University of Science and  Technology, 1994-95, and the City University of Hong Kong, 1995-96.

In 1992, Simon Fraser University awarded him a University Professorship for his research contributions. He received the American Education Research Association's Outstanding Contribution to Cooperative Learning Award in 1998. His review of cooperative and competitive conflict was re cognized as the best article in Applied Psychology: An International review for 1998. He is past president of the International Association of Conflict Management. He has published over 200 articles on managing conflict, cooperation and competition decision making, power, and the other management issues. He has served on several editorial boards, including the Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Management, and Small Group Research.