The biggest obstacle to creating an effective team might be you. Many managers think in hierarchical terms, with authority as the operating assumption. But a team's structure is flat, not hierarchical, and its operating assumption is consensus.

To help your teamwork more effectively, choose one of two approaches:

>> Become a fully participating member of the team, entering into the consensus with everyone else; or

>> Stay away completely from the team's internal business.

If you opt for the second approach, manage the team by negotiating, in effect, a contract. There should be a set of performance demands and an operating agreement between you and the team. Meet regularly and update the demands and agreements as necessary.

Don't try to learn the details of the team's interactions by interrogating various members or by "planting" someone to keep you informed.

Two other suggestions for effective team management:

1. Treat the team as a whole for all successes and failures. Distribute rebukes and rewards evenly, or give them to the team and let the members make their own distribution decisions. (If you distribute individual rewards, be sure they can be earned individually and aren't in conflict with the collective interests of the team.)

2. In managing direct reports, create a set of individual performance expectations that align with team expectations. Establish mechanisms for feedback and performance evaluations.

About the Author

J. Wentworth