Extraordinary Groups: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results

by Geoffrey M. Bellman, Kathleen D. Ryan

Two leading experts present a new approach to help teams nurture extraordinary experiences and excel

Occasionally we participate in a group that inspires us to describe the experience as "powerful" or simply "wow." Why are some teams described in such exceptional terms, while most are not? Bellman and Ryan argue that an extraordinary group emerges when a group experience satisfies two or more core needs that members intuitively bring to any group they join. Based on extensive research, the book presents the Group Needs Model to help anyone nurture extraordinary experiences in their groups and achieve outstanding results. Introduces a new approach for creating extraordinary experiences and results in teams Identifies the key characteristics that define exceptional teams Describes the Group Needs Model for encouraging extraordinary experiences and team success A timely resource for anyone who leads groups including HR and OD professionals, managers, executives, nonprofit managers and directors, virtual teams leaders, and trainers

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Geoffrey M. Bellman spent the first fourteen years of his career on the inside of three Fortune 500 companies (Ideal Basic Industries, AMOCO Corporation, and G.D. Searle). Now, as an organizational consultant, he works with corporations on the effective use of human talent as they undertake major change. In this capacity, he has worked with more than 100 corporations, including GTE, TRW, and Shell Oil.
He is the author of Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge, Your Signature Path, The Consultants' Calling, and The Quest for Staff Leadership, which won the National Book Award of the Society for Human Resource Management.

Reviews

[Shiva Pande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book. It's like Daniel Pink's drive but for teams! The model really adds up and it's something that will stay in the back of my mind forever.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Working in groups is hard, and the biggest challenge is getting people working towards common goals. Many groups form without spending any time considering some basic questions, like what their purpose is, or how the goals of the group fit with the goals of the people in the group. _Extraordinary Groups_ presents a framework that can help you understand why understanding these issues is so important, and it provides exercises that you can use to help yourself be a better leader, as well as exercises for the team to use. I got this with the idea of considering the ideas in the context of the various work groups I'm involved in. I realized that the framework is also applicable in other circumstances, including family (why shouldn't you think of the main relationship in your life as an "extraordinary group of 2"), and ad-hoc Facebook issue groups. Definitely work a read.

[Harish B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book Another model on building effective teams. Challenge is to implement.

[Samuel Irizarry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information on the ingredients that lead to the success of great teams

[Mark Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

The principles in this book are excellent and helpful but the book itself has a lot of fluff in it, making it at times pretty dull and unnecessary in proving a point that was obvious.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as much about the individual and his/her part of a successful team, workplace, world, as it is about extraordinary groups. Love Geoff and will return to this many times, I am sure. Fantastic resource and so many great lessons and insights to be gained. Every time I pick it up I am changed in some way.

[Kiersten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to hear what they had to say, but the way they tried to say it left me so nonplussed that I gave up after a few chapters and could barely bring myself to scan the raining sections.

[Jeff Lampson]

I am looking forward to reading this as Geoff's previous have greatly influenced and inspired me.