The Social Brain

byTracey Camilleri, Samantha Rockey, Robin Dunbar, Anna Wilson-Jones (Read by)

The Psychology of Successful Groups

How many people does the ideal team contain? How do groups bond, earn trust and forge shared identities? How can leaders build environments adaptable enough to respond to shocks and still enable people to thrive together? How can you feel close to people if your only point of contact is a phone or a computer?

In The Social Brain leading experts from the worlds of evolutionary psychology and business management come together to offer a primer on great team working. They explain what size groups work and how to shape them according to the nature of the task at hand. They offer practical hints on how to diffuse tensions and encourage cooperation. And they demonstrate the vital importance of balancing unity and the need for different views and outlooks. By explaining precisely how the 'social brain' works, they show how human groups function and how to create great, high-performing teams.

We are a species whose social relationships have profound impacts on us physiologically, psychologically and socially, orientating us towards health and pro-social behaviour or away from them. In this remarkable and important book, international researchers and pioneers guide readers through the research on the evolution and social dynamics of small groups and how to cultivate them to bring out the best in us, rather than the worst. This book is a highly accessible, timely and invaluable guide to anybody working in groups, including businesses, schools and governments.

Prof Paul Gilbert OBE, author of THE COMPASSIONATE MIND, and founder of compassion focussed therapy

About Tracey Camilleri

Tracey Camilleri is an Associate Fellow at Oxford University's Said Business School and the co-founder, along with Sam Rockey, of Thompson Harrison. Earlier in her career she variously ran her own consulting company, WMC Communications.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781529900040
  • Length: 535 minutes
  • Price: £13.00
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