Leading Self-Directed Work Teams

by Kimball Fisher

A new edition of the book that lead the self-directed work teams revolution. Leading Self-Directed Work Teams is one of the best-selling books on teams ever published. Now, the perfect guide for any team leader has been revised and expanded to reflect the new realities of team-based organizations. By explaining how team leaders differ from conventional supervisors, this informative volume which is based on the author's successful seminars and workshops is especially useful for those managers who move from hierarchical to participatory structures. This edition feature more practical examples and techniques than in the previous edition, new research, dozens of tips and checklists, case studies, and valuable training exercises. It has been used and praised by experts at Motorola, M.I.T., AT&T and many other organizations.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Management, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Kimball Fisher is a best-selling business book author who also writes children's literature. He lives with his sweetheart in Portland, Oregon. You can reach him at kimball@kimballfisher.com

Reviews

[Jorge]

Fancy proposal!

[Paul Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts slowly with lots of name dropping of big corporations. Picked up in the middle, but when everything that needed saying had been said, the end just repeated what had gone before with some more formal process stuff.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published over 15 years ago and still as relevant as ever today. It was probably a little bit longer than it needed to be but I enjoyed the read nonetheless. Giving teams proper autonomy is definitely the way to run them in today's day and age. And I definitely appreciate Kimball's insights into how to make that transition happen from all points of view especially from that of a "traditional" manager.

[Lachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book, but not great. Far too much justification for Self-directed Work Teams than I needed. I sometimes felt the author was holding information back to protect his consultancy business, probably paranoia.

[Stela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I knew all about the difference between supervisor and manager until I read this book. Kimball does not only look at the team as an isolated entity but also at the effect the organizational culture.

Best leadership book I have read for very long time!!

[Bob Schatz]

Outstanding book for ScrumMasters, managers, and executives dealing with the transition to agile. It helps to further the understanding of how long self-directed teams have been used in practice (since the 60's), what companies have excelled, and what you need to do to obtain the benefits.

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on managing teams for knowledge workers, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs.