Building and maintaining a strong and effective team.   If two heads are better than one, how about a team of heads? An effective team can be more innovative than an individual. But how do you get there? While it is true that building and managing a strong, productive team is difficult, Mining Group Gold gives you a set of proven tools, techniques and processes that you must use and practice at all levels of your organization to build and maintain strong, collaborative teams. Based on 30 years of research and applied work with teams and organizational development by the author, this updated classical guide--now in its highly revised 3rd Edition--shows you how to how to plan, start-up, facilitate, and close-out efficient and effective collaborative meetings. Mining Group Gold features: An incisive analysis of the staggering cost of meetings in terms of time and money - The tightly interlinked relationship between primary and secondary facilitation - The six major considerations for planning group meetings--starting with the decision about whether to have a meeting in the first place - Blueprints for designing an effective PDORA (Purpose, Desired Outcomes, Roles and Agenda) that produces a collaborative structure - Tactics for dealing with (and defusing when necessary) disruption differences, and confusion to make a diversity of viewpoints a valuable team asset - Ways for channeling participants' emotions into a positive force - Expert guidance on using technologies like virtual collaboration as a catalyst for unlocking your teams' collaborative brain power Based on practical advice rather than fluff or theory, the Mining Group Gold sytematic approach is the essential guide to building and maintaining strong, collaborative organizational teams. "For years, Xerox benefited mightily from Tom's rare blend of strategic thinking and practical advice. Now the world can. I highly recommend this book. --Anne Mulcahy, former Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation "Presented in a straightforward, easy to read style, the material in MGG will yield BIG results for your organization." --Eric L. Steenburgh, past President and COO, Ricoh Corporation; former COO, Kodak Corporation " Mining Group Gold is a common-sense approach that not only delivers the most productive meetings you've ever had, it will improve teamwork and execution from the moment the lessons are put into use." --Ron Cox, CEO, Tailwind Consulting "Tom Kayser is a true innovator whose ideas save time and energy and increase the productivity of every meeting. His writing style is concise and focused with a spirit of friendliness." --Bruce Heller, Ph.D., author The Prodigal Executive " Mining Group Gold works! Using MGG tools and concepts in my consulting work has been a key factor in helping clients align teams, accomplish desired outcomes, and improve their bottom-line." --Rod Buchen, CEO, The Buchen Group About the Author Tom Kayser is the President of Kayser Associates, Inc, a Human-Resources consulting firm. He retired from the Xerox Corporation after 30 years of service and now consults for Firestone, among others. He is an expert in organizational behavior and change, group facilitation, team-building design & facilitation, and executive coaching and speaks at many universities and professional organizations. Mining Group Gold is an integrated approach for thinking strategically about the facilitation of teams to maximize their collective wisdom in the pursuit of innovative ideas and results. It is a book about facilitation--the manager as a facilitator with the help of all others present as secondary facilitators. Specifically, Mining Group Gold is a set of fundamental--but potent--tools, processes, techniques, and templates that any person, at any organizational level, can readily apply to increase his or her ability to plan and facilitate work sessions that help build a collaborative organization culture. The procedures covered in this book truly are combat-tested and have withstood the challenge of decades of time. The initial framework was developed in 1984 and has undergone many additions, refinements, and developments since then. Tens of thousands of people in multinational corporations, small businesses, school districts, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and colleges and universities have read the previous editions this work and learned how to become "miners of group gold". I have spent my career as an organization effectiveness professional and facilitator personally using, teaching, and honing what you will be reading about here. About the Author Tom Kayser is the President of Kayser Associates, Inc, a Human-Resources consulting firm. He retired from the Xerox Corporation after 30 years of service creating and pioneering numerous organization effectiveness interventions from the executive v.p. level down to first-level managers. He is an expert in organizational behavior and change, group facilitation, team-buil