Douglas K. Smith is a former consultant at McKinsey & Company, Inc., who today is a leading commentator on organizational performance and change.

Simply, teams outperform people working alone. This is especially true when the performance requires multiple skills, judgements, and experiences.

Consultants or former consultants of large consulting firms wrote the Wisdom of Teams. The Wisdom of Teams authors have roots at McKinsey. A consulting firm based out of Dallas Texas. The authors have spent considerable time working with teams, studying them and are now using their books to impart that knowledge to those seeking to form, develop and facilitate successful teams in their organizations. However, the two books take very different approaches.

Teams are one of the catchwords of the 90's.

All of this advice is offered while keeping jargon to a minimum. In fact, the book starts by acknowledging what we all know creating change in an organization can be difficult. Yet, The Wisdom of Teams provides simple strategies, to analyze organizational readiness, and alternatives that will get your organization closer to a real team environment. It outlines the basics elements of team and then offers techniques for sticking to them to achieve success. You do not need to be a process consultant to make teams work in Katzenbach and Smith's world. In addition, this is the book's greatest strength.

- Real team's results will be greater if the leaders aim their sights on preference.

- Biases toward individualism cannot interfere with the team's goals.

Some of the essential lessons learned about teams and team performance are:

- Teams do not arise without a perforce challenge that is meaningful to those involved.

Katzenbach and Smith's advice is simple, straightforward, and practical. They look at teams in an organizational context. Certain elements are critical to team success. The organization needs to have or develop a strong "performance ethic." In other words, compelling clear purposes and performance standards need to be an important part of the organization's culture. According to Katzenbach and Smith, performance, not chemistry, shapes teams. "Real" teams emerge when the individuals in them take risks involving conflict, trust, interdependence, and hard work. Making conflict constructive by developing ways to handle differences and concerns an

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Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)