28.7. Summary

Good engineers are team animals. One of their finely honed individual skills is the ability to be an excellent team member.

In this introductory chapter about teamwork, the features of groups that make them effective and efficient were introduced. Heuristics were given to enhance teamwork by reducing the friction that can build in groups. The four stages of group evolution were described and examples given. The concept of a team as the ultimate group was presented, and misconceptions about individual responsibility versus team responsibility were discussed. Beyond this chapter, there is a wealth of literature on the subject. Some of the most useful resources were described.