The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building

The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building

by Gary S. Topchik
Released June 2007
Publisher(s): AMACOM
ISBN: None

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Book description

The First-Time Manager

  • Make the transition from team member to team leader

  • Understand the difference between a team and a work group

  • Hold team members accountable

  • Make their teams more productive

  • Manage challenging situations and resolve conflict within a team.

    • Written in an engaging, conversational style, Topchik explains the five essential qualities of a high-performing team: goals and standards; decision making; honest communication; clear roles and responsibilities; and celebrating success. Packed with activities and assessments for both the manager and team members, this is an essential guide for any manager who strives for team-building success.

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. Acknowledgments
    3. Introduction
    4. One. The Team
      1. 1. The Best Team Experience
        1. Building Team Spirit
      2. 2. Defining a Team
        1. Defining a Team
        2. Team Size
        3. Ongoing Teams and Project Teams
        4. So Many Benefits
        5. Who Should the Team Leader Be?
        6. Who Should the Team Members Be?
        7. Are You Really Managing a Team?
      3. 3. The Four Team Models
        1. The Three Factors of Team Life
          1. The Case of the Incongruent Factors of Team Life
          2. Which Is the Most Important Factor of the Three?
        2. Descriptions of the Four Team Models
          1. The Work Group
          2. The Developing Team
          3. The Participative Team
          4. The Autonomous Team
      4. 4. A Summary of the Four Models
        1. The Work Group
        2. The Developing Team
        3. The Participative Team
        4. The Autonomous Team
      5. 5. Mismanaging Your Teams
        1. Undermanaging
        2. Overmanaging
        3. Finding Balance
      6. 6. Creating a Team-Based Work Environment
        1. Condition 1. Managerial-Style Paradigm
        2. Condition 2. Team Skills
        3. Condition 3. Empowered Team Members
        4. Condition 4. An Open Approach to Change and Risk
        5. Condition 5. Human Resources Systems
        6. Closing Up
    5. Two. Traveling the Road from Team Member to Manager/Leader of Teams
      1. 7. A New Set of Skills
        1. A Combination of Primary Skills and Leadership Skills
        2. The First-Time Managerial Olympics
        3. Key Points for Team Builders
          1. Point #1
          2. Point #2
          3. Point #3
          4. Point #4
          5. Point #5
      2. 8. Roadblocks on Your Way
        1. You, the First-Time Manager
        2. Mixed Messages About the Importance of Teams
        3. Punishing High-Performing Teams
        4. The Sheila V. Case
      3. 9. Getting to the New Road
        1. Stopping
        2. Stalling
        3. Starting Over
      4. 10. The 10 Steps of Team Building
        1. Step 1: Getting Upper-Management Support
        2. Step 2: Define the Purpose of Your Team
        3. Step 3: Identify Time Frames
        4. Step 4: Select the Team Members
          1. Core, Extended, and External Team Members
          2. How to Find the Best New Team Members Possible
          3. One-on-Ones
        5. Steps 5-10, Meeting with the Team
        6. Step 5: Team-Member Openings
        7. Step 6: Share the Overall Purpose
        8. Step 7: Team Name
        9. Step 8: Create the Team Mission Statement and Goals
        10. Step 9: Core Team Issues
        11. Step 10: Establishing Team Norms
        12. Your Job Is Just Beginning
      5. 11. Leading Your Meetings
        1. Closing Up
    6. Three. Developing a Team Spirit
      1. 12. Team-Spirit Key #1: Clear Roles and Responsibilities
        1. Technical Roles
        2. Task Roles and Process Roles
          1. Task Roles
          2. Process Roles
        3. Role Rotation
        4. The Manager/Team Leader Role
      2. 13. Team-Spirit Key #2: Open and Honest Communication
        1. Group Think
        2. The Case of Karol and Group Think
        3. Communicating on a Virtual Team
      3. 14. Team-Spirit Key #3: A Supportive and Knowledgeable Manager/Leader
        1. Say “We” Instead of “I”
        2. Active Listening
        3. Get Feedback
        4. The Incongruent Message
        5. How Can I Get Them to Trust Me?
      4. 15. Team-Spirit Key #4: Decision-Making Authority
        1. Set Those Boundaries
        2. Readiness for Team Decision Making
        3. Modes of Decision Making
        4. Consensus Decision Making
      5. 16. Team-Spirit Key #5: Rewards and Recognition
        1. Can All Teams Be Motivated?
        2. How Do I Motivate My Teams?
        3. Let’s Celebrate!
        4. Adjourning
        5. Reenergizing a Team That Has Lost Its Team Spirit
        6. Closing Up
    7. Four. Managing Challenging Team Situations
      1. 17. Make Them Accountable!
      2. 18. Watch Out for Difficult Team Personalities!
        1. When the Manager/Team Leader Is to Blame
        2. The Seven Most Difficult Team Personalities
          1. #7: The Winner-Take-All Team
          2. #6: The Tangent Team
          3. #5: The Social Team
          4. #4: The Comedy-Show Team
          5. #3: The Whining Team
          6. #2: The Anti-Establishment Team
          7. #1: The Self-Destructive Team
      3. 19. Going from Conflict to Collaboration
        1. Welcome Conflict
        2. Causes of Team Conflict
        3. You Have a Choice
        4. Creative Collaboration
        5. Five Steps to Creative Collaboration
        6. Step 1—Express Your View of the Conflict and Invite the Other Team Members to Do the Same
        7. Step 2—Get Everything Out
        8. Step 3—See The Conflict from the Other Person’s Perspective
        9. Step 4—Agree on What, Specifically, the Problem/Opportunity Is
        10. Step 5—Focus on the Future
          1. Generate Solutions
          2. Evaluate Solutions
          3. Select and Implement a Solution
          4. Evaluate the Results
        11. Closing Up
    8. Five. Team-Building Activities
      1. 20. Team Building as an Ongoing Process
        1. Team-Building Activities You Can Do
        2. The Post-Its
          1. When to Use
          2. Objective
          3. Time
          4. Materials
          5. Description
          6. Debrief
        3. The Original Game
          1. When to Use
          2. Objectives
          3. Time
          4. Materials
          5. Description
          6. Debrief
        4. A Real Problem
          1. When to Use
          2. Objective
          3. Time
          4. Materials
          5. Description
          6. Debrief
        5. Well-Known Leaders
          1. When to Use
          2. Objective
          3. Time
          4. Materials
          5. Description
          6. Debrief
        6. Team Temperature
          1. When to Use
          2. Objective
          3. Time
          4. Materials
          5. Description
        7. The Team Temperature Questionnaire
          1. Scoring Instructions
          2. Debrief
        8. The Unsighted Square
          1. When to Use
          2. Objective
          3. Time
          4. Materials
          5. Description
          6. Debrief
        9. Closing Up
      2. 21. Conclusion

    Product information

    • Title: The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building
    • Author(s): Gary S. Topchik
    • Release date: June 2007
    • Publisher(s): AMACOM
    • ISBN: None