“Together everyone achieves more.” -- Who knows, but it makes sense!

“Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to produce uncommon results.” -- Successories poster

“Effective teams are a necessary part of any high performance organization.” -- Kevin McManus, the Systems Guy

Click here to buy this $25 book via credit card at Amazon.com!!

Would you like to make your teams more effective?

Has your organization experimented with teams, only to be disappointed by the results they returned? Would you like to optimize the output of your existing formal problem solving teams, kaizen teams, or work teams? Have you thought about starting up formal teams, or moving your work teams towards self direction, but want to avoid wasting time and money? Implementing and maintaining a formal team process can be expensive, both in terms of the hard dollars required and in terms of the impact such a system's success or failure will have on the organization's culture. Many organizations don't consider these costs when they attempt to start formal teams. Even when they do consider them, they often grossly underestimate the resources required to make the process effective and obtain the types of payback they want.

Why aren't your teams getting better results?

At least one work / process team already exists in any organization, unless all employees work in a non-interactive, isolated vacuum. Most organizations have several process teams, but their level of self-direction is usually low. It is also likely that their daily efforts are not aligned and focused on the goals of the company. In turn, many man-hours are spent each day delivering less than optimum performance. Management teams are often among the worst offenders when it comes to ineffective process, project, or focus teams.

In general, teams are ineffective because they are not properly supported. The concepts and tools that are described in this workbook will allow you to balance your desired results against the degree of investment (support) you are willing to make, and in turn help you make all of your teams more effective. Its use will also help you build teams into your work systems, instead of them existing as some sort of program out in isolation. Team participation should not be seen as something that people get to be a part of only one hour out of forty each week.

How can this workbook help make your teams more effective?

The concepts and tools in the "Are Your Teams Working?" workbook focus on how to (1) create operational definitions for different team types, (2) identify the specific investments required to effectively implement and sustain team infrastructures, (3) define performance scorecards for teams, and (4) balance these expected results with the investment commitments you are willing to make. By using the tools to apply the concepts, you can discover new ways to get the most out of your process, project, or focus teams for the investment you are making, while also ensuring that team involvement is a fun experience. By reading this workbook and working through its exercises, the following learning objectives will be satisfied, as one will become better able to:

How do you know this stuff really works?

This workbook is the product of my twenty five plus years of experience with over 150 teams. Many of the tools contained in it were born out of frustration. I have seen both problem solving and work teams do marvelous things. I have seen them have sustained success over several years. I have also seen effective team programs die from lack of support, and I have witnessed the frustration of front line employees and managers alike who want to improve their company through teamwork, but aren't given the chance.

You see, I operate from the perspective that all companies, both large and small, have teams (unless they have employees who never talk to anyone else as they do their daily jobs). My perspective also is a bit cynical in the sense that I feel that most teams in existence are far less effective than they could be. Unless your employees work in isolation, they depend on others to get their job done each day. I have seen the successes that true self-directed work teams and effective project teams experience. I have trained many team leaders, served as a leader and facilitator myself, and helped teams save millions of dollars each year. This stuff works, but only if teams are properly trained and supported.

Would you rather have a hard copy workbook or a CD?

Great Systems! workbooks are available in two formats - hard copy and digital (CD). The cost for the hard copy version of a workbook is lower because (1) the workbook is not as portable, (2) the workbook cannot be easily copied for internal training purposes, and (3) you only get the workbook itself. The CD version of the workbook gives you more than just a reproducible, color PDF version of the black and white hardcopy version. With the CD option, you also get a PowerPoint presentation of the workbook's graphics and one hard copy workbook as well.

What will you get on the "Are Your Teams Working? " CD?

	98 page “Are Your Teams Working?” workbook PDF that can be used to make your own training materials
	46 slide “Are Your Teams Working?” PowerPoint presentation that can be used to deliver in-house training
	14 team exercises to help you develop more effective teams and team infrastructures

Would you like to order a workbook or CD?

Credit Card Ordering

To order this workbook by credit card from Amazon.com, simply click here.

To order other Great Systems! workbook via credit card, visit www.amazon.com/shops/greatsystems.  After I receive notification of your order, your workbook order will be sent to you via USPS Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery).

Ordering This Workbook or CD Through the Great Systems! Website

At this time, CDs may only be ordered by sending me an e-mail - they cannot yet be purchased via credit card. To order this workbook or CD directly from me via this website, simply send me an e-mail (kevin@greatsystems.com) which contains (1) your name, telephone number, and mailing address, (2) the product you desire, and (3) a clear statement of your intent to make the purchase itself.  

After I receive your e-mail, I will send you the order along with an invoice for the order cost plus applicable sales taxes and shipping costs (if you live outside of the United States, please read the following note). Volume discounts are available.

NOTE: All customers outside of the United States are required to pre-pay for their order in US dollars prior to shipment if they choose to NOT order by credit card .

Would you be interested in my two day onsite "Are Your Teams Working? " workshop?

Would you like to see how this course is taught by the developer before you try to teach it yourself? Would you like to have a team of your people work together in a workshop facilitated by this product’s creator? If so, consider holding a “Are Your Teams Working?” workshop for your company. For a 25 person group, the total cost of this course is normally less than $100 per person!

Who created this workbook?

The “Are Your Teams Working? - Keys to Team Effectiveness ” workbook and workshop was designed by Kevin McManus, who has served as an industrial engineer, Production Manager, Plant Manager, and Director of Quality during his 27 year business career. Kevin also played a key role in helping to create the ASQ Team Excellence Award process and judges training. He has also served as an Examiner, Senior Examiner, and Alumni Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for nine years. Kevin also writes the monthly Performance Improvement column for Industrial Engineer magazine.

Would you like to learn more about team effectiveness?

Click on one of the following links to learn even more about how you can increase the effectiveness of the teams you already have in place, and those that you might be thinking about using:

	Workbook table of contents
	Summary of workbook exercises
	Summary of key team myths and questions
	Summary of team types
	Characteristics of work, project, and focus teams
	Example team infrastructure
	Great Systems! home page

“The only thing I know is that I do not know it all.” -- Socrates