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Why is Team Management Important? Success or failure in business is a result of whether people work together effectively in teams. Some organisations have a very good record in teamwork. These include companies like Shell, Citibank, Hewlett‐Packard, IBM as well as smaller organisations. When we look at the performance of the major Japanese companies over the last 30 years we again can see the amazing results of effective teamwork. Names like Sony, Hitachi, Toyota, Nissan, NEC, Honda and others have swept to world leadership in their industries. We can only conclude they are doing something very effectively.

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a qualitative research study that was designed to examine the application of the management index (MI) to support effectiveness among management teams. Specifically, the research was twofold: to examine the usefulness of the MI as a tool to enhance effectiveness in management teams; and to identify conditions necessary for successful use of the MI.

A three-year multi-site qualitative case study was conducted with five medium- to large-scale organizations, from public and private sectors, to apply and examine the use of the MI. Data were collected from participants during a series of workshops designed to examine the ways in which the tool was used to enhance effectiveness in management teams, and conditions that were determined supportive or a hinder to using the tool.

Findings from the qualitative data demonstrate four primary uses of the in which the MI: pulse reader, navigation, systematic dialog, management team development. It is, however, not clear yet if the use of the MI contributes to improvement in efficiency and effectiveness. The degree of maturity within the organization and teams, as defined by open and transparent communication and clarity of purpose of direction, appear to be key factors for how well teams benefit from the MI. Furthermore, the tool appears to benefit from longer term usage rather than quick-fix usage, although this claim has yet to be validated by further investigations.

The MI was developed by Swedish Institute of Quality to provide a simpler performance measurement tool for management teams to support quality improvement processes in organizations in Sweden. The MI was developed to provide management teams with access to vital information that could serve as the basis for prioritizing areas of needed improvement, while reducing time and complexity associated with traditional business excellence models.

This study contributes to an ongoing dialogue about how to support quality management through the use of performance measurement tools. In particular, the study supports the need to develop understanding about the importance of dialogue and process combined with the use of measures to achieve results.

The Team Management Index, a 60‐item self‐completion questionnaire, generates a 3,000‐word profile (after the answers have been fed into a computer program) which outlines the individual's work preferences in the areas of decision making, team building, leadership, information management, organisation and personal relationships. The Team Management Profiles have been used successfully in a variety of management development exercises, one‐to‐one counselling, team development workshops, and self‐evaluation.

Effective team management can be the difference between success and failure in business. The article describes the authors' work in various wealth‐producing organisations which led them to produce a new approach to bring about more effective teamwork. The authors developed a type of work model to enable team leaders to draw a profile of how they see their team and its members in terms of the work they like to do. People have different work preferences which can be determined accurately by the Team Management Index (TMI). The TMI has been found to be a valid and useful measure of team preferences — hence an aid to improved team management.

An analysis of the practical application of the Team Management Resource designed by Charles Margerison and Dick McCann in the Training Agency (formerly the Manpower Services Commission) is represented. The results represent the completion of the instrument by 855 managers in the Commission and compares these results with those produced by Margerison and McCann for a wider, more general sample of managers. Several differences are noted between the two samples and some possible reasons for these differences are proposed. The article samples were obtained principally during training events (normally Team Development, although the instrument was administered during developmental events) and suggests implications for trainers and training in its use.

Team management and teamwork are critical in the cockpit of a jet aircraft. The crew manage a complex set of interactions on which numerous people depend for their safety. Airlines worldwide have now recognised the need to train aircrew in team management principles. Until recently attention to the management side of flight operations has limited itself to the rostering arrangements and backroom office systems and procedures that support aircrew. The Aircrew Team Management Programme (ATM) designed by the authors for Trans Australia Airlines consists of a three‐day workshop with follow‐up sessions and simulator training. The prevailing culture in airlines is examined. An action research approach to gathering data for the management programme, its educational design and development, its key elements and implementation and tuition are discussed. It has been accepted by the crew as a valid and relevant form of training.

The audit manager has a key task in being a managerial linker to ensure top team performance. This article highlights key points to guide professional practice and shows the use of a new instrument called the Team Management Index.

Describes the importance of team management to career development, as well as the meshing of organizational and individual needs, and views the career as a longitudinal concept. The Team Management Index and the Types of Work Index and their application to career development articles are described. Reliability and validity data are presented on the Types of Work Index.

The career transition from technical‐specialist to management involves special challenges for the career development practitioner. The use of the Margerison‐McCann Team Management Index as an aid to career planning, career pathing and individual counselling with managers is discussed.

Looks at instruments which can be used in team development. The Types of Work Index provides personal feedback to team members on their job. The Team Management Index helps team members understand the way they like to work. The Linking Skills Index measures how well a person implements “linking skills”.