Team Management Skills

The Skills You Need to be a Great Boss


Build a great team.

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This section of Mind Tools teaches more than 120 team management skills. Each skill is explained in clear, simple language, giving you the information and training you need to be a great manager.

Start by taking our How Good are Your Management Skills? quiz – this helps you target the skills that you, personally, will find the most useful. Then explore many other skills in areas such as recruiting, team effectiveness, coaching, motivation, and delegation.

The Browse by Category box will help you find specific skills, and you can skim the list below to find interesting topics. Enjoy using these tools!

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Management Skills

Team Management Skills
The Core Skills Needed to Manage Your Team

Mintzberg's Management Roles
Identifying the Roles Managers Play

Seven Surprises for New Managers
Common Management Misconceptions

Management By Wandering Around (MBWA)
Staying in Touch With Your Team

Supporting Your People
Helping Team Members Achieve

Deming's System of Organizational Knowledge
Understanding Your Organization

Taking Responsibility in a New Leadership Role
Taking Control of Your Accountabilities

Improving Team Effectiveness

Building an Effective Team
Creating a Productive and Efficient Group

Team Effectiveness Assessment
How Well Do You and Your Team Work Together?

DILO (Day In the Life Of)
Improving Team Effectiveness by Analyzing Daily Activity

Team Briefings
Sharing Organizational Information Efficiently

Four Dimensions of Relational Work
Matching Tasks to Interpersonal Skills

Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Learning What Your People Think

Accounting for Time
Making Best Use of a Precious Resource

Why the Rules are There
Helping People Understand and Enforce Rules

Safety in Teams
Fostering a Culture of Safety

Building Confidence in Other People
Creating Self-Assured Teams

Creating a Healthy Workplace
Maximizing Team Happiness and Productivity

Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Solving Key Teamworking Problems

Birkinshaw's Four Dimensions of Management
Developing an Appropriate Management Model

Waldroop and Butler's Six Problem Behaviors
Overcoming Obstructive Behavior Patterns

Team Dynamics

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing
Helping New Teams Perform Effectively

Cog's Ladder
Understanding and Accelerating Group Formation

The Leader-Member Exchange Theory
Getting the Best From All Team Members

Belbin's Team Roles
Understanding Team Roles Can Improve Team Performance

Benne and Sheats’ Group Roles
Identifying Both Positive and Negative Group Behavior Roles

The Margerison-McCann Team Management Profile
Organizing Teams for Maximum Effectiveness

Team Charters
Getting Your Teams Off to a Great Start

Team-Building Exercises
Planning Activities That Actually Work

Managing Emotion in Your Team
Maintaining Harmony in a Group

Helping People Flourish at Work
Creating a Thriving Team

Effective Recruitment

Effective Recruitment
Finding the Best People for Your Team

When to Create a New Role
Choosing the Right Time to Expand Your Team

Writing a Job Description
Conveying the Meaning of the Job

Hiring People: Questions to Ask
Know What to Ask to Find the Right Person

Inbox/In-Tray Assessment
Uncovering How an Employee Will Perform on the Job

Success Profiling
Benchmarking Potential Recruits Against Your Top People

Using Recruitment Tests
Hiring with Better Results

Understanding Workplace Values
Finding the Best Cultural Fit

Aptitude Testing
Assessing the Potential for Success

Successful Induction
Getting New Team Members Off to a Great Start!

Engaging New Recruits
Building and Maintaining Motivation

Off to the Right Start
Teaching Basic Skills to New Hires

Exit Interviews
Getting Feedback from Departing Staff

The Peter Principle
Avoiding Promoting People to a Level of Incompetence

Developing Your Team

Understanding Developmental Needs
Help Your People Reach Peak Performance

Training Needs Assessment
Making Sure Your Team is Properly Trained

Heron’s Six Categories of Intervention
Understanding How to Help Effectively

Talent Management
Identifying, Developing and Keeping Talented People

Succession Planning
Seamlessly Transferring Key Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Handling People's Retirement
Transferring Knowledge and Maintaining Motivation

Active Training
Maximizing Engagement in Team Learning

On-the-Job Training
Developing a Hands-On Training Program

Instructor-Led Training
Creating an Effective Learning Experience

Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model
Analyzing Training Effectiveness

The Nine-Box Grid for Talent Management
Assessing Team Member Performance and Potential

Cross-Training
Creating a Flexible Workforce

Helping Your People Develop Emotional Intelligence
Creating a Positive, Balanced Team

Building a Positive Team
Helping Your People be Happy and Engaged

Coaching Your Team

The GROW Model
A Simple Process for Coaching and Mentoring

What is Coaching?
Understanding What Coaching Is

Coaching for Team Performance
Improving Productivity by Improving Relationships

Coaching with Feedback
Helping Your People to Improve Their Performance

Coaching for Talent Development
Helping People Become More Effective

Coaching Through Change
Helping People Embrace Change

Informal Coaching for Managers
Knowing When to Be a Coach

High-Performance Coaching
Achieving Full Potential

Building Rapport in Coaching
Developing Mutual Understanding and Trust

Coaching to Develop Self-Awareness
Helping People Get to Know Themselves

Coaching to Explore Beliefs and Motives
Understanding What Drives Your People

Motivating Your Team

How Good are Your Motivation Skills?
Discover Key Factors for Building a Motivated Team

Motivating Your Team
How to Motivate Your People

Theory X and Theory Y
Understanding Team Member Motivation

McClelland's Human Motivation Theory
Discovering What Drives Members of Your Team

Herzberg's Motivators and Hygiene Factors
Learn How to Motivate Your Team

Sirota's Three-Factor Theory
Keeping Employees Enthusiastic

The Three Component Model of Commitment
Improving Commitment and Engagement

Expectancy Theory
Motivate Your Team by Linking Effort With Outcome

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Building a Happier, More Satisfied Team

Alderfer's ERG Theory
Understanding the Priorities in People's Needs

Pygmalion Motivation
Managing High Performance with High Expectations

Amabile and Kramer's Progress Theory
Using Small Wins to Enhance Motivation

Handy's Motivation Theory
Motivating People to Work Hard

Broaden and Build Theory
Using Positive Emotions to Build Success

Rewarding and Engaging Your Team

Understanding Strategic Compensation
Creating the Right Pay Structure

The Psychological Contract
Meeting Your Team's Unspoken Expectations

Adams’ Equity Theory
Balancing Employee Inputs and Outputs

Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics
Understanding the Basis of Job Enrichment

Rewarding Your Team
Learning Why "Thank You" is So Vital

Job Enrichment
Increasing Job Satisfaction

Keeping Valued Team Members
Restoring Commitment to Prevent Resignations

Job Embeddedness
Reducing Staff Turnover

Re-Engaging Team Members
Turning Negative Back to Positive

Motivating Without Bonuses
Keeping Your Team Happy Without a Check

Theory Z
Merging Eastern and Western Management Styles

Helping People Take Responsibility
Encouraging Accountability

Performance Management

Performance Management and KPIs
Linking Activities to Vision and Strategy

Management by Objectives (MBO)
Aligning Objectives With Organizational Goals

Performance Appraisals
Getting Real Results from Performance Reviews

Dealing with Poor Performance
Is It Lack of Ability or Low Motivation?

Performance Agreements
Increasing Personal Accountability

The Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance® Model
Helping Your Team Achieve Peak Performance

Delegating Effectively

How Well Do You Delegate?
Discover Ways to Achieve More

Successful Delegation
How, When, Why

Avoiding Micromanagement
Helping Team Members Excel – On Their Own

Preventing Manager Dependency
Teaching Your Team to Be More Independent

Task Allocation
Pick the Right Player for the Right Job

Managing Different Groups of Workers

Managing Perfectionists
Harnessing the Commitment to Excellence

Managing Part-Time Staff
Strategies for Your Flexible Workforce

Managing Working Parents
Creating a Flexible, Happy Workforce

Managing Knowledge Workers
Getting the Most From Them

Managing Contractors
Hiring, Managing, and Motivating Contract Workers

Managing Freelancers
Finding and Motivating Independent Workers

Managing Volunteers
Finding the Right Balance

Managing Interns
How to Find and Develop Yours

Working With an Executive Assistant
Building a Successful Relationship

"Blue Collar" Workers
Making the Most of People's Hard Work and Skills

Managing Unskilled Workers
Keeping People Happy and Motivated

Emotional Labor
Helping Workers Present a Positive Face

Managing People with Low Ambition
Using Different Motivational Strategies

Managing Generation Y'ers
Harnessing the Talent of a New Generation

Managing Different Types of Teams

Setting Up a Cross-Functional Team
Working Effectively With Other Functions

Managing Cross-Functional Teams
Balancing Team Needs and Functional Lines

Managing a Geographically Dispersed Team
Achieving Your Goals Together, While Apart

Managing Virtual Teams
Team Working That Overcomes Time and Space

Managing in a Unionized Workplace
Getting Things Done in a Constructive Way

Managing Around the World

Managing in Australia
Working Successfully in an Independent Culture

Managing in Brazil
Working in an Emerging Economy

Managing in Canada
Working in a Diverse Country

Managing in China
Working in a Global Powerhouse

Managing in France
Working in a Culturally Rich Country

Managing in Germany
Working with German Culture and Teams

Managing in Hong Kong
Working in a Diverse, Thriving Culture

Managing in India
Achieving Success in a New Culture

Managing in Japan
Etiquette and Management Strategies

Managing in Malaysia
Navigating a Land of Contrasts

Managing in Russia
Negotiating a Rapidly Changing Culture

Managing in South Africa
Doing Business in a Changing Culture

Managing in the United Arab Emirates
Finding the Balance Between Old and New

Managing in the U.K.
Working in a Different Culture

Managing in the U.S.
Working in a Fast-Paced Culture

Difficult Management Situations

Resolving Team Conflict
Building Stronger Teams by Facing Your Differences

Bad Behavior at Work
Using Clear Criteria to Identify and Deal With Offenders

Managing Overconfident People
Controlling the Effects of Overconfidence

Managing "Rogues"
Controlling Disruptive People

Reducing Sick Leave
Decreasing Absenteeism... and Its Costs

Formal Warnings
Understanding and Issuing Them

Rationalizing Team Activities
Reorganizing Priorities in Changing Times

When Teams Shrink
Coping with Layoffs, and Moving On

Rumors in the Workplace
Managing and Preventing Them

Managing During a Downturn
Keeping Morale Up When the Economy is Down

Managing Team Negativity
Overcoming a Pessimistic Environment

Rebuilding Morale
Creating a Happy, Committed Workforce

Standing Up for Your People
Showing Support When It Matters

Avoiding Discrimination
Minimize Problems by Being Prepared

Managing "Rebels"
Guiding Independent Thinkers

Historical Management Theories

Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management
Understanding Taylorism and Early Management Theory

Elton Mayo's Hawthorne Experiments
Early Exploration of Workplace Motivation

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth
Pioneers of Ergonomics

Henri Fayol's Principles of Management
Early Management Theory

For more in-depth team management training, try our Team Tools workbook course.


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