Business Book Summaries

In Leading Self-Directed Work Teams, Kimball Fisher argues that the traditional supervisor role is becoming obsolete in today’s business environment. To develop the agility needed to compete in today’s marketplace, companies must transition from hierarchical to participatory management structures. However, despite generating better results than traditional management structures, self-directed work teams (SDWTs) can be difficult to implement. In Leading Self-Directed Work Teams, Fisher simplifies this implementation process by providing a step-by-step guide to creating and sustaining team-based organizations as well as clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the leaders within them.

SDWTs are not a fleeting management fad, but a proven method to achieving remarkable and sustainable results. To successfully implement self-directed work teams, leaders must:

• Redefine leadership. SDWTs cannot function under traditional, hierarchical supervisors; instead, they require team leaders who coach, remove obstacles, and model desired behaviors.
• Empower employees. Effective team leaders empower employees with the authority, resources, information, and accountability to get jobs done with minimal supervision.
• Provide training. To successfully transition from a traditional management structure to SDWTs, employees must be provided with extensive business, technical, and interpersonal training.
• Facilitate ongoing communication. To ensure SDWTs can collaborate, share knowledge, and solve problems together, team leaders must create cultures of open communication by holding daily team meetings and encouraging honest feedback.
• Create accountability systems. Team leaders can ensure team members complete their work on time without a hierarchical power structure in place by creating systems that make them publicly responsible to their teammates for achieving results.

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