Are you an Effective Team Manager?

Teams and groups are an inevitable and natural part of the workplace. Teams are great for getting work done, protecting people’s interests, and satisfying the social needs of individuals. Teamwork can make a large and seemingly insurmountable task doable.

As a manager, your effectiveness or the effectiveness of your project work may be closely bound with your ability to operate well as a member of a management team, and/or to manage your own team. You may think that you’re a great team manager… but how great are you, really? Take this quick assessment to gauge your understanding of the nature and role of teams in your organization.*

On a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree), rate yourself on the following statements:

	Statement	Score
1.	I know how to influence members of my team.
2.	I know how to influence members of other teams.
3.	I build agreement with the team before dealing with tasks to be done.
4.	I know how to build a strong team.
5.	I know the stages of development that new teams typically go through.
6.	I confront and deal with factors that may block team success.
7.	I encourage diversity of opinion in my team and encourage it to be expressed.
8.	With my team, I am clear about what I want us to achieve.
9.	I share all information with team members.
10.	I encourage everyone in the team to participate.
11.	I pay attention to both long-term and short-terms goals of my team.
12.	I know how to overcome dysfunctional behavior by team members.
13.	I encourage high standards of performance in my team members.
14.	I know the core skills of all members of my team.
15.	I always celebrate successes with my team.

Now, add up your score and compare it with the following interpretations:

Below 80 points: Your score suggests that you have little understanding of, or appreciation about, the nature and roles of teams. A score below 80 also suggests you have little understanding of how teams should be developed and managed to bring about the advantages of teamwork.

80-130 points: It appears you are reasonably competent in understanding the nature and requirements of effective team management. Take another look at your individual statement scores to determine where you might want to focus on developing your skills.

Over 130 points: Congratulations! It seems that you are very proficient in understanding and managing teams.

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* Assessment and interpretation developed by Iain S. Henderson and Martin Dowling, borrowed from their course text titled ‘Managing Personal Competencies’