Team Management is both a philosophy and a set of high-commitment, high-capability management practices.

The philosophy of Team Management is that an interlocking system of high-functioning teams is essential for achieving optimal results. The practices of Team Management include clear team definition, effective team meetings, root-cause problem solving, horizontal workflow improvement, future-facing measures, pinpointed coaching, and positive reinforcement.

Team Management is based on four core ideas:

• Teams as a System.
• Continuous Improvement.
• Balanced Scorecards.
• Leader as Coach.

Teams as a System. In Team Management teams are connected vertically and horizontally, producing a coordinated system of teams. The leader of a team is a member of the team above, ensuring vertical connection. Teams are connected horizontally by what they receive from and deliver to each other. Each team is confident that its outputs are the required inputs of the next team in the workstream.

Continuous Improvement. In Team Management each team is united around a mission, owning a flow of work and a set of outputs. Each team pursues continuous improvement by monitoring performance, solving problems, improving workflows, and managing action. The approach is data-based, interactive, anticipatory, and action-oriented. Teams run their own businesses, identifying and addressing issues at their level.

Balanced Scorecards. In Team Management each team monitors a dashboard of indicators that measure its performance against results expectations. The indicators are balanced between end results and “leading indicators” that give early warning about likely final results so that corrective action can taken before the fact. Teams look at indicators that reflect their own work in real time.

Leader as Coach. In Team Management each team leader embraces the role of improving the skills of team members through coaching. Team leaders observe team members in action and give them feedback in the moment to strengthen the behaviors that produce the team’s results. Team leaders create an environment of learning and improvement.

Team Management is the essential set of management practices and routines for organizational excellence.