Annika Lantz is a professor of psychology at the University of Stockholm, Sweden. Her main research interests are team development, leadership and innovation processes. She also works as a consultant for Fritz Change AB and has worked as a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. Daniela Ulber is a professor at HAW Hamburg University, Germany. Her research focuses on organizational development, management and coaching as well as systemic and solution-orientated consulting in organizations. Peter Friedrich, Dr., is a senior consultant at Fritz Change AB, Sweden, with expertise in organizational development, action research and cross-cultural studies of innovation processes. He has an academic background in industrial engineering, and is a former researcher at the Swedish National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety and the Wiesbaden Business School.
Lantz, Ulber and Friedrich have achieved a rare integration of deep scientific research and extensive experience with work teams grappling with tough problems. They provide a cogent and powerful guide for how to create teams that fulfil the potential of humans working cooperatively together in small, skilled collectives to meet the challenges they face. This book is not some superficial appeal to vague notions of positivity in working together but rather a rich source of knowledge about how to ensure we work effectively together in teams in ways that make the best use of our human emotional and cognitive capacities to perform at the highest levels. It is a gift for both researchers and practitioners. -Michael West, Lancaster University, UK