Based on the author’s many years of consulting experience with teams in the public and private sectors, Creating Effective Teams: A Guide for Members and Leaders describes why teams are important, how they function, and what makes them productive. Susan A. Wheelan covers in depth the four stages of a team―forming, storming, norming, and performing―clearly illustrating the developmental nature of teams and describing what happens in each stage. Separate chapters are devoted to the responsibilities of team leaders and team members. Problems that occur frequently in groups are highlighted, followed by what-you-can-do sections that offer specific advice. Real-life examples and questionnaires are used throughout the book, giving readers the opportunity for self-evaluation.
Susan Wheelan was president of GDQ Associates, Inc. Until 2001, she was a professor
of psychological studies and faculty director of the Training and Development Center
at Temple University. Dr. Wheelan received Temple University’s Great Teacher Award
in 1992. She also worked as a psychologist in a number of hospital and clinical settings.
Dr. Wheelan was the author of Facilitating Training Groups; Group Processes: A
Developmental Perspective; Creating Effective Teams: A Guide for Members and Leaders;
and Faculty Groups: From Frustration to Collaboration. She was editor of the Handbook
of Group Research and Practice and coeditor of The Lewin Legacy: Field Theory in Current
Practice and Advances in Field Theory. She wrote 66 research articles for publication.
Maria Åkerlund is CEO of GDQ Associates AB, the current owner of the Group
Development Questionnaire created by Susan Wheelan. She is a licensed psychologist
and has worked as an industrial and organizational psychologist for 30 years, consulting
with leaders, managers, employees, and teams in private companies as well as
organizations in the public sector in Sweden. She is one of the authors of the books
Teamutveckling i Teori och Praktik (Team Development in Theory and Practice) and
Teams in the Spotlight.
Christian Jacobsson is head of research at GDQ Associates AB and associate professor
in the Department of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He is a
licensed psychologist and has worked as an industrial and organizational psychologist
for about 35 years and been involved in many large-scale team development projects as
a project leader. Christian mainly conducts research on leadership and team development
and has published about 60 articles, conference proceedings, or books on these
topics. He is one of the authors of the books Teamutveckling i Teori och Praktik (Team
Development in Theory and Practice) and Teams in the Spotlight.
