Program Description

How can you make teams you work with more effective? Join the OD Network of Chicago to kick off the new year and explore the answer to this question with Dr. Tim Franz, an experienced organizational psychologist with expertise in team leadership and performance. Join Franz to discuss the ten reasons that teamwork goes wrong. For each of the ten reasons, explore at least one solution.

Expect the following key takeaways from this interactive session:

• Understand the principles of effective teamwork
• Learn the top ten team traps
• Learn the best ways to help avoid the ten team traps
• Think about how to apply the tips to teams you work with

About Our Facilitator: Dr. Tim Franz

Dr. Franz is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist at St. John Fisher College, where he is a Professor of Psychology as well as Chair of the Psychology Department and past Program Director and Chair of the graduate Human Resource Development Department.  In addition to his academic work, he also works as an organizational consultant through his independent consulting organization, Franz Consulting. 

His topical areas of expertise include team leadership, individual and team decision making, improving team performance, and using teams to drive organizational change.  Many of his ideas about improving teams are published in his books, titled Making Team Projects Work: A Resource for High School and College Educators and Group Dynamics and Team Interventions: Understanding and Improving Team Performance. His most recent book, co-authored with Seth Silver, is titled Meaningful Partnership at Work: How The Workplace Covenant Ensures Mutual Accountability and Success Between Leaders and Teams. 

Prior to his work as a college professor, Dr. Franz was a survey consultant for the Wyatt Company (now Towers-Watson) and Buck Consultants.  In addition, he has designed selection tests, employee development instruments, and custom organizational surveys as a contract consultant for Custom Solutions, A London House Consulting Group.