Resources: Teams & Work Groups

Tools

1. ‣Insight Inventory – A simple assessment I use a lot to help team members explore their different work styles and ways to communicate and work more effectively together.
   

2. ‣Team Work Style Inventory – Even simpler than the Insight Inventory. I created this one-page assessment myself to serve as the basis for group discussions about some of the personality / work style differences that can create challenges and frustrations for teams. If you are a nonprofit or public agency, feel free to download and duplicate it for use with your group. Share your answers with one another, and then consider the following questions: Where are there notable differences in your group? What can you do to ensure you navigate them well? Is your group so alike in some ways that it could be a liability? If so, what can you do to avoid potential pitfalls?
   

3. ‣Office Live Workspace – This free online tool from Microsoft provides a place where you and your group can share documents, task lists, etc. For folks using Windows-based versions of the Microsoft Office suite, you can install the Office Live Update to allow you to save Office documents directly to your online workspaces. (Mac users will need to save the file on their own computer then upload it to the Office Live site.)
   

4. ‣Backpack* – Similar to Office Live Workspace, but much, much more powerful. (But also not free.) I used this once for a group project and found it an invaluable tool for working with a virtual team. From 37 Signals, who also offer Basecamp* (a project management tool), Highrise* (shared contacts manager), and Campfire (group chat).
   

5. ‣Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers* – All of the exercises in the book can be done in 15 minutes or less, and most require minimal or no materials. Two helpful introductory chapters provide good advice on using the activities successfully.
   

Reading

1. ‣The Five Dysfunctions of a Team* – In this engaging leadership fable, the author tells the story of a new CEO who must turn around a failing executive team. Through the story (and in a succinct summary of his model at the back of the book), the author addresses the five key issues that teams must master in order to succeed: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and attention to results.
   

2. ‣One Bad Apple – From my friend and colleague, Plum Cluverius, comes this great summary of a This American Life episode that highlighted some fascinating research about “bad apples,” their potential impact on a team, and what a team leader can do to prevent the work from being derailed. (Click here to listen to the episode itself.)
   

Websites

1. ‣Ask the Team Doc – Readers of this blog write in with their team-related challenges, and the author provides answers and advice.
   

2. ‣Wikibook: Managing Groups and Teams – Wikibooks is a partner of Wikipedia. This collaboratively developed online text on working with teams and groups is quite extensive and generally well-written.
   

*Full disclosure: The links marked with an asterisk (*) take you view more information about those resources. If you decide to purchase them, I’ll earn a small commission – but only if you use these links to do so. Note that I never recommend products I haven’t reviewed myself and don’t believe offer real value.