This paper reviews the literature on the organization development strategy known as team building. Included are a definition and conceptualization of team building, a comparison of team building with laboratory training, a series of assumptions underlying the strategy, the major purposes of team building, and a description of several models of team building. In addition, the process of team building is presented; the steps in the team building process are outlined, a variety of techniques for problem diagnosis and solution generation are listed, and the roles played by the team building consultant are reviewed. Further, several important prerequisites to enhance the probability of success of team building interventions are considered. Finally, the utility of team building is discussed.
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