The survival of many organizations depends on teams capable of engendering superior innovation in business processes. Successful teams always have two things in common. They are strongly committed to a shared purpose and specific performance goals.

Head count reduction, downsizing, and the elimination of middle management jobs—“Is that all there is?” To many middle managers, Peggy Lee's classic ballad rings painfully true today. The good news is that a growing number of folks‐in‐the‐middle are defying that image and making a...