battle of the toolbooks, The

Robinson, Christine

Whether you're a plumber, a doctor, a chef, or whatever profession, training can take you just so far. At some point you have to actually do something, and getting just about anything done requires the proper tools.

That's certainly the case when the job involves changing an organization. These tools include step-by-step "recipes" or how-to procedures, checklists of useful questions, forms for organizing information and structuring inquiry, exercises and games for teaching groups, and models for understanding a menu of important concepts.

Many of these tools are available in books available through ASQ/AQP, at bookstores, in libraries, and through online vendors. This article surveys more than two dozen books published within the past six years (as well as a limited number of classics) that provide tools for the leader, change agent, facilitator, and consultant in the following topical areas:

* Leadership and consulting processes.

* Human resources development (coaching and training).

* Organizational analysis and development.

* Team building and facilitation.

* Improvement processes.

Within each topical area, books are presented alphabetically, except where closely related books are discussed in chronological order. In addition to a brief review of each book, tables comparing key features of all of the books are provided. Several metrics are given, including list price and typical discount pricing (in U.S. dollars), number of pages and format, availability of finding and selection aids, additional resource citations, and electronic versions of forms. An attempt also was made to provide a count of the various types of tools in each book and to identify key subject areas covered. In some cases, counts are only approximate because tools were not always clearly identified as such.

Each book also is rated based on its applicability and utility. Some books are obviously of high value for almost everyone and are judged to be "first shelf." Others will have high value to a more limited group of people and are judged as "second shelf." Finally, books with limited overall reference value are "third shelf." From a practical standpoint, books that discuss both theory and practice are typically the most useful in the long run. As Peter Senge points out in The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, "...theoryless tools are not likely to significantly add to our store of generalizable knowledge. Without underlying theory, you get tools which might work in one situation, but you don't know why. They might fail in other situations, but you don't know why either. Ultimately the tool's usefulness may depend on unreproducible aspects of a particular person's skill. A really good consultant can make the tool work. But all the rest of the people in your company haven't got the foggiest idea how to apply it effectively. [And] with no underlying theory, we may not always appreciate the limitations of a tool, or even its counter-productiveness if used inappropriately." (pp. 30-31)

Although every attempt was made to include as broad a spectrum of books as possible, it was a challenge to identify books worthy of inclusion in this survey. Books of tools are described by using a variety of pseudonyms: tools, best practices, procedures, secrets, toolbook and tool book, toolkit and tool kit, toolbox, fieldbook, handbook, guide, workshop, etc. This necessarily meant chat some books failed to surface during online searches. There also was a need to locate copies of the books identified and to assure that they were still available for purchase many older titles are now out of print and available only through interlibrary loan or through stores specializing in used or rare books. There was also a screen for "affordability" with no book having a discount price above $80 receiving consideration. Finally, no attempt was made to include books on purely statistical tools, as these typically are obtained and studied as classroom textbooks.

If your favorite toolbook is missing from this survey, I apologize and encourage you to let me know so that it can be included in any subsequent update to this survey.

Focus: Leadership and Consulting Processes

Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management: Practical Advice for the Front-Line Manager

by Nic Peeling

Dorset House, 2003

ISBN: 0-932633-54-4

This book on leadership and management is targeted at front-line managers and team leaders, especially those "undertaking such a job for the first time." (p. xvii) It presents what the author calls the Golden Rule of Management: "You will be judged by your actions, not by your words, and your actions shall set the example for your team to follow." (p. xx)

The rule provides the jumping-off point for discussions of how to manage individuals, teams, staff, bosses, projects, customers, and suppliers. Chapters discussing the management of different types of professional staff (including lawyers, information technology staff, creative types, and support staff) and how to deal with a "failing" team were especially interesting.

The tools in this book are primarily checklists of things to do, ask, or pay attention to in a variety of settings. There are also 23 scenarios of difficult situations that a leader might face, along with how the author would respond. He points out that there are few easy solutions and that the need to make tough decisions is one of the responsibilities of leadership.

This book is full of practical advice for the first-time leader. More seasoned leaders will find it an interesting refresher but may prefer to borrow the book before making a purchase decision.

The Leader's Handbook: Making Things Happen, Getting Things Done

by Peter R. Scholtes

McGraw-Hill Trade, 1997

ISBN: 0-07-058028-6, ASQ Item: P733

This classic guide for leaders written by a W. Edwards Deming disciple is an important resource for those attempting to lead improvement efforts. Scholtes takes a firm stand that "More than 95 percent of your organization's problems derive from your systems, processes, and methods, not from your individual workers." (p. ix) As a consequence, the book emphasizes practical ways of applying Deming's philosophy with chapters on systems thinking, daily work, motivation, breakthrough, and measurement. It also devotes a full chapter to performance without appraisal and discusses how to decouple compensation, developmental discussions, and performance feedback.

Each chapter contains a wealth of information -theory, practical implementation suggestions, examples, anecdotes, and short case studies. This is capped off with questions and activities plus a list of the books and articles referenced in the text. This structure allows the book to be useful as both a desk reference and as a teaching text.

If you buy only one book on leadership, this should be the one.

More Secrets of Consulting: The Consultant's Tool Kit

by Gerald M. Weinberg

Dorset House, 2001

ISBN: 0932633528

This book is not your typical toolbook. It contains no forms, no checklists, no exercises, or games. Rather, it contains 17 mental models to help leaders lead: the wisdom box, golden key, courage stick, wishing wand, detective hat, magnifying glass, yes/no medallion, heart, mirror, telescope, fish-eye lens, gyroscope, egg, carabiner, feather, hourglass, and oxygen mask.

Each model serves to help focus thought or guide behavior. For example, the mirror reminds the leader to see him or herself accurately and to seek and use the feedback of others. By contrast, the telescope focuses on "the ability to see others and to bring them closer to my understanding than my naked eye and brain can manage." (p. 7) Each model is accompanied by a variety of anecdotes describing how the model has been useful to the author, along with a host of pithy aphorisms.

Although this book is obviously targeted at external consultants, it will be of interest to anyone in a leadership role. It serves as a good reminder of many of the concepts that leaders typically learn only through experience, and the models will remain in memory long after the book has been read.

Given its price and the nature of the tools, borrow this book from the library.

The Pied Piper Principle: Lead, and They Will Follow by Trudy Jean Evans Hats Off Books, 2003 ISBN: 1-58736-158-2

Do not be misled by the cute title-this slim paperback is a serious discussion of 65 principles essential to the modern leader. It emphasizes the ethical aspects of leadership and provides food for thought to experienced and novice leaders alike.

The principles identified cover topics such as:

* Personal integrity-Principle 1: Everyone is watching. (pp. 1-2)

* Leading change-Principle 65: The first place to change things starts with you. (p. 91) Along the way are gems on:

* Recruiting-Principle 58: Surround yourself with those who do what you can't, (p. 83)

* Delegation -Principle 32: Put people in their passion, (p. 46)

* Making decisions -Principle 52: Sleep on it. (P. 74)

* Giving feedback-Principle 33: Hold one-on-one meetings, (pp. 47-48), and a host of other topics.

Each principle is discussed in just a page or so, with concepts distilled to the bare essentials. This makes the book easy lunch-hour reading, and individual topics are good as discussion starters.

As interesting as this book is to read, it doesn't succeed as a reference toolbook. Principles are not grouped together into broad themes and there is no topical index. This makes it difficult to locate information on specific topics. So borrow the local library's copy or buy it as a gift for your favorite leader

Rules & Tools for Leaders: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Effective Managing, revised and updated ed. by Major General Perry M. Smith (Ret.) Perigee, 2002 ISBN: 0399527869

Perry Smith has written the book that he would have liked to have had when he was in leadership positions. (p. xvii) It deals with many practical aspects of being a leader-from the nuts and bolts of leading an organization to working with people and continuing to grow. It is filled with lists of useful questions (the tools) targeted at a wide variety of leadership responsibilities, such as managing a transition in leadership, making big decisions, leading during crisis, handling the media, hiring and promoting, and scheduling your time. I especially liked the list of questions to use during performance counseling.

Smith's target leaders are busy leaders, associates who must deal with their bosses, and students in management and leadership courses. His many anecdotes reflect his years in the U.S. Air Force and his associations with the National War College, resulting in a focus on leadership for very large organizations; thus, not all examples will be of equal relevance to all readers.

The major problem of the book-the lack of both a detailed table of contents and an index-makes it a challenge to use the book for reference purposes after the initial reading. In spite of this, many leaders will find it an excellent resource to have.

Focus: Human Resources Development The Complete Games Trainers Play, Volume II (Games Trainers Play Series) by Edward E. Scannell, John W. Newstrom, and Carolyn Nilson McGraw-Hill, 1998 ISBN: 0-07-046607-6

This classic series of training games began in 1980 with Games Trainers Play and grew to the point where two complete 3-ring binder collections were created. The Complete Games Volume I includes games from Games Trainers Play (1980), More Games Trainers Play (1983), and Still More Games Trainers Play (1994). Volume II contains a selection of new games, plus games previously published in Team Games for Trainers (1993), Even More Games Trainers Play (1994), and Games That Drive Change (1995). Although expensive, the two binders provide a wide variety of activities and games for many kinds of training situations.

Each book is organized into several broad categories with Volume II divided into 16, including: icebreakers (15 games), memory challenges and brainteasers (39), learning (40), teambuilding and groups (40), and team functioning (40). Each game follows a standard format: title, objective(s), procedure, discussion questions, materials required, approximate time required, and source (if known).

Because training games never really become obsolete, a handful of carefully selected books will last a lifetime. Because each book has a slightly different emphasis, trainers will want to look at several before selecting those that fit his or her needs.

The Big Book of Motivation Games (Big Book of Business Games Series) by Robert Epstein and Jessica Rogers McGraw-Hill, 2001 ISBN: 0-07-137234-2

This is just one of the books in the Big Book of Business Games series. This series, which is the successor to the Games Trainers Play series, includes game books focused on meetings (2002), creativity (2000), humor (2000), stress relief (2000), sales (1999), customer service (1999), team building (1997), presentations (1997), and general business (1995).

Each book includes an introduction to the use of games as part of training along with some sort of aid to help in game choice. For this book, a section called "Find the Right Games" follows the alphabetical table of contents. It sorts the games into 23 categories with individual games typically falling in more than one category. These include seven categories of games for motivating individuals, nine categories for teams, and five categories for everyone.

Each game typically includes a summary or objectives, time requirements, materials needed, and step-by-step instructions. Additional information might include discussion questions, what to do with more time, and tips for getting the most out of the game. Needed handout materials are also included. Some of the books specifically grant permission to copy these handout materials for training purposes; others don't.

Although every trainer should have one or two books of training games in his or her library, the quality, quantity, and focus of the games vary from book to book, so it is best to borrow a book before making a purchase decision.

The Complete Guide to Coaching at Work by Perry Zeus and Suzanne Skiffington McGraw-Hill, 2001 ISBN: 0-07-470842-2

This review has been condensed and adapted from the column "Books in Review" in the Spring 2003 issue of The Journal for Quality and Participation, (pp. 49-51)

This is the first of a pair of excellent books on coaching. Introductory chapters explain what coaching is, contrast it with other forms of interventions for personal improvement, and discuss characteristics of successful coaches.

The second part of the book includes chapters that discuss different types of coaching in the workplace:

* Business skills coaching.

* Executive coaching.

* Coaching done by managers.

* Coaching of teams.

Coaching models, coaching skills, commonly used cools, and examples of interventions are presented for each type of coaching.

The third section focuses on presenting information on four key aspects of coaching- strategic goal setting and developing an action plan, communication skills, learning, and coaching as change. Theory is presented as well as practical checklists and examples.

The final section addresses coaching in call centers, sales coaching, and career coaching. Throughout the book, numerous short case studies (one or two paragraphs) give real-life examples of coaching in action.

This is an important reference book for anyone serving as a coach or planning on hiring one.

The Coaching at Work Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Techniques and Practices by Perry Zeus and Suzanne Skiffington McGraw-Hill, 2002 ISBN: 0-07471-103-2

This review also has been condensed and adapted from the column "Books in Review" in the Spring 2003 issue of The Journal for Quality and Participation, (pp. 49-51)

The second book in this set is divided into three sections: background on coaching, coaching tools and techniques, and practice management. Although there is a noticeable amount of material familiar from the Guide, it is presented either in summary or to clarify the subsequent discussion of coaching applications.

The bulk of the book is dedicated to the "how to" of coaching and presents 17 case studies, 42 checklists, and 76 exercises on a wide range of coaching topics.

Each chapter contains background material, a variety of tools, and the context in which they might best be used. It also contains a glossary of 59 terms related to coaching.

This book is a must-have for anyone actively involved in coaching others.

Performance Management: A Pocket Guide for Employee Development by James Rollo GOAL/QPC & Competitive Advantage Consultants, 2001 ISBN: 1-57681-042-9, ASQ Item: P894

This concise book provides a ready reference to performance management, "an umbrella term for the process of identifying, developing, and using an organization's human resources." (p.1) The approach taken by the author is to present the concepts as part of a comprehensive model that includes competency models, leadership development, goal setting, behavioral norms, 360[degrees] feedback, performance improvement process, coaching, performance appraisal, recognition, and team audit.

One chapter is devoted to each subject. Topic explanations typically include definitions, a discussion of benefits, and a limited amount of theory. Best practices are portrayed through one or more detailed examples drawn from manufacturing, administrative services, government, and health care. Step-by-step instructions are also provided, along with recommended work sheets. Coverage of each topic is surprisingly thorough, given the size of the book.

The final chapter presents an organizational assessment tool to help prioritize where to start with performance management. An appendix provides a guide to "breakthrough strategic planning" (a refinement of Hoshin Kanri planning).

The only drawback to the book is that it lacks both a detailed table of contents and an index. The reader will need to make a manual search to find specific procedures and worksheets.

This is an excellent toolbook for everyone responsible for developing human resources. Given its reasonable price, it provides exceptional value.

The Team-Building Workshop: A Trainer's Guide (The Trainer's Workshop(TM) Series) by Vivette Payne AMACOM, 2001 ISBN: 0-8144-7079-3

Another series of toolbooks for trainers is The Trainer's Workshop(TM) series by the American Management Association. In addition to the book above, this series includes: The Presentation Skills Workshop (1999), The Self-Management Workshop (1999), The Time-Management Workshop (2000), The Interpersonal Communication Skills Workshop (2001), The Project Management Workshop (2001), and the Conflict Management Skills Workshop (2002).

Each book in the series provides objectives, agenda, trainer instructions, forms, handouts, and pages designed to be copied onto overhead transparencies for one or more workshops. The Team-Building Workshop contains materials for five one- to two-day workshops: building essentials of team effectiveness, building essentials of project teams, conflict resolution, aligning teams, and rebuilding. Also included are four part-day team intervention sessions on team purpose and mission, role clarification, team meetings, and decision making.

These workshop books are invaluable to a trainer who needs to provide training but lacks the resources to hire an outside trainer or the time and/or skill to develop the training from scratch. These books provide basic, no nonsense, all-in-one manuals to guide the trainer through the workshop.

For those who need complete, prepackaged training courses on basic human relations and business skills, the books in this series are worth the investment.

The Trainer's Tool Kit by Cyril Charney and Kathy Conway AMACOM, 1998 ISBN: 0-8144-7944-8

This toolbook is full of checklists presented alphabetically by topic. An extra index at the back of the book organizes the individual topics into six broad categories:

* Assessing the need for and the results of raining.

* Planning, developing, and designing training.

* Buying training.

* Conducting training (including logistics, types of training, and teaching skills).

* Sending people to training.

* Supporting training.

The brevity of each topic (typically only two or three pages) and the checklist format generally allow only for an introduction or overview of each idea, so experienced trainers will find the book somewhat superficial. This should not detract from its use as a quick, concise reference on training.

This inexpensive book is a nice reference for the busy trainer and facilitator.

The Training Needs Analysis Toolkit: A Resource for Identifying Training Needs, Selecting Training Strategies, and Developing Training Plans, 2nd Ed.

by Sharon Bartram and Brenda Gibson

Human Resource Development Press, 2000

ISBN: 0-87425-497-3

Before embarking on a training program, it is essential to identify what training is needed. This book provides 22 assessment instruments and 12 planning worksheets. It is accompanied by a disk containing all of the surveys, worksheets, forms, and handouts in Adobe Acrobat(R) 4.0 format. There is also a useful table that matches the assessment tools with the level of the organization where they are most likely to be effective: at the top of the organization, with people who manage others, or with people who do not manage others.

The first section of the book sets out a process for the planner to use in the identification of organizational needs. It covers questions to ask, the type of information to collect, and methods for analyzing the information.

Part two presents the instruments, grouped into four categories: developing the organization, organization climate, managing resources, and job skills. Each instrument includes a purpose statement; a brief description; identification of materials needed; a table giving the benefits and potential problems for each of the logical information collecting methods, along with step-by-step instructions; guidance on how to analyze the data collected; and all of the necessary forms, surveys, summary worksheets, and handout materials.

This excellent book is a must-have for anyone contemplating training as a means toward organizational change.

Focus: Organizational Analysis and Development

Best Practices in Organization Development and Change Handbook: Culture, Leadership, Retention, Performance, Coaching; Case Studies, Tools, Models, Research

edited by Louis Carter, Dived Giver, and Marshall Goldsmith

Jossey-Bass, 2001

ISBN: 0-7879-5666-X

This hefty book contains 17 corporate case studies. Case studies are grouped into five categories: organization development and change, leadership development, recruitment and retention, performance management, and coaching and mentoring. Each case includes a business diagnosis, assessment, program design, implementation, on-the-job support, and evaluation. Most cases also include examples of one or more forms used by the company in question, with roughly three-quarters of them included on the accompanying CD-ROM in Microsoft Word format.

Readers will find this book difficult to use as a toolbook. Most tools are included with too little detail to be of any real use - with insufficient procedural information, partial templates, and no worked out examples being the norm. Tools that are included are typically embedded within the case studies in ways that make them difficult to recognize as tools, and a challenge to locate after the first reading. The table of contents and index are unsatisfactory tool locators. For example, the 32 pages on 360[degrees] feedback mentioned in the index do not include any reference to a complete eight-page feedback form used by one company (which goes by the ambiguous title Advanced Manager Inventory).

Given the length and cost of this toolbook, either forgo it completely or borrow it from the library.

The Consultant's Tool Kit: 45 High-Impact Questionnaires, Activities, and How-To Guides for Diagnosing and Solving Client Problems

Edited by Mel Silberman

McGraw-Hill, 2000

ISBN: 0-07-136261-4

This is the first of three toolbooks for consultants edited by Mel Silberman. It is divided into three sections:

1. Assessment questionnaires to study your client's needs (13 surveys with overview, interpretation guide, and scoring worksheets).

2. How-to guides for solving your client's problems (15 short articles, usually with step-by-step procedures).

3. Intervention activities to increase your client's effectiveness (17 games, role-playing exercises, and team activities).

As assistance to the user, all of the forms are available to download at the publisher's Web site -you will need to know the page number of a form in order to locate it. A word of warning: Few of the forms will look like they do in the book because there is a general failure to format tables as tables. Lack of vertical lines makes using these forms for data entry more complicated and makes form customization a serious challenge. So, unless there is a significant need to modify a particular form, it will be easier to just take the book to a copy machine.

This book contains an interesting combination of theory, practical applications, and training tools. That said, it probably isn't going to be useful to everyone. Check out the book at your local library or browse through the pages online at Amazon.com before making a purchase decision.

The Consultant's Big Book of Reproducible Surveys and Questionnaires: 50 Instruments to Help You Assess and Diagnose Client Needs

by Melvin L. Silberman (Ed.)

McGraw-Hill, 2002

ISBN: 0071408827, ASQ Item: P984

This is the second toolbook edited by Mel Silberman. In this one, he has collected a variety of tools to help understand an organization and determine what changes are needed.

Surveys and questionnaires are divided into five sections:

1. Leadership development (12 tools).

2. Employee development (12 tools).

3. Team development (8 tools).

4. Organizational performance (10 tools).

5. Strategic planning and change management (8 tools).

For each tool, there is an overview establishing the tool objectives along with contact information for the creator of that tool. Forms, worksheets, and handouts are presented on separate pages to make reproduction more convenient. Where the instrument involves scoring, a scoring worksheet is provided along with information on how to interpret the score. Finally, some of the tools include suggestions for follow-up activities and discussion.

As with the first book in the series, forms are available online from the publisher. These, too, suffer from lack of vertical lines in the tables. In several places, the fonts have also been changed, with special characters such as check-off boxes being translated into something not envisioned by the original author.

A very useable book with carefully crafted surveys and questionnaires, this book is one that most people will want in their reference collection. To determine whether it is for you, borrow it from your local library or browse through the pages online at Amazon.com before making a purchase decision.

The Consultant's Big Book of Organization Development Tools: 50 Reproducible Intervention Tools to Help Solve Your Clients' Problems

by Melvin L. Silberman (Ed.)

McGraw-Hill, 2002

ISBN 0071408835, ASQ Item: P983

This third book for consultants focuses on tools used to take action on the knowledge provided by the assessment instruments in the second book. It provides tools to help develop and improve individual and team skills and abilities - typically games, role-playing exercises, and other team-based activities. Each tool includes an overview, suggested time to complete, materials needed, and a detailed procedure. Many also include variations and information on where to find additional reference material.

Development tools are divided into five sections that parallel the second book:

1. Leadership development (10 tools).

2. Employee development (9 tools).

3. Team development (12 tools).

4. Organizational development (10 tools).

5. Strategic planning and change management (9 tools).

As with the first two books, the forms are available to download at the publisher's Web site. They are of better quality than those for the previous books with most looking just like they do in the book. They are also set up in a way that will be easier for the user to customize. The only difficulty is that some of the forms containing graphics with text embedded into the graphic have lost resolution, making them difficult to read.

Although this book contains useful tools, it probably isn't going to be useful to everyone. Borrow the book at your local library before making a purchase decision.

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization

by Peter M. Senge (Editor), et al.

Doubleday, 1994

ISBN: 0-385-47256-0

The classic toolbook in the field of organizational development, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook provides a variety of team and individual exercises, practical techniques, and case studies contributed by more than 40 authors, which build upon the concepts discussed in The Fifth Discipline.

Materials have been collected into eight major sections entitled:

1. Getting started.

2. Systems thinking.

3. Personal mastery.

4. Mental models.

5. Shared vision.

6. Team learning.

7. Arenas of practice.

8. Frontiers.

The materials presented in sections two through six are designed to develop mastery of the concepts and skills. The largest of these sections (on systems thinking) presents extensive information about each type of system archetype, with plenty of examples and exercises. The last two sections give extensive stories about real organizations, with more than 30 case studies provided throughout the book.

An extensive system of icons helps the reader understand the purpose as one of the following: solo exercise, team exercise, guiding ideas (principles), infrastructure (aspects of organizational design), theory and methods, cameo (guest contributor discussing own work or organization), lexicon (word meanings and history), systems story, tool kit, or resource.

The only significant problem with the book is the fact that most of the named tools and exercises are not listed in either the table of contents or the index. This makes them difficult to locate after initial reading.

This classic continues to be useful to anyone working in the field of organizational development.

The Performance Consultant's Fieldbook: Tools and Techniques for Improving Organizations and People

by Judith Hale

Jossey-Bass, 1998

ISBN: 0-7879-4019-4, ASQ Item: P738

This toolbook is targeted at trainers, organizational development consultants, and human resources development professionals, but will be useful to any internal or external change agent. It is divided into two parts. The first one third of the book helps the reader understand performance consulting and define his or her own approach to performance improvement projects. The rest of the book provides processes to identify barriers to performance, diagnose performance problems, recommend appropriate interventions, and measure results. Interventions are classified into 13 "families" organized into five areas of focus: information, consequences, design, capacity and capabilities, and congruence. Throughout the book, the theory is supplemented with more than 40 detailed case studies and worked-out examples (some extensive).

A computer disk is provided that contains 24 of the forms and checklists. Although the book states that files are in Microsoft Word 6.0/95, the disk I examined was actually in Rich Text Format (RTF) with documents displaying exactly as shown in the book. Note also that the presence or absence of the text icons denoting "file on disk" is not always accurate.

Overall, this book has strong planning and diagnostic tools that will help the practitioner to avoid tunnel vision when striving to improve organizational performance. The value of this book more than offsets the fact that it is more expensive than most of the other books in this category.

Focus: Team Building and Facilitation

Building Team Spirit: Activities far Inspiring and Energizing Teams

by Barry Heermann

McGraw-Hill Trade, 1997

ISBN: 0-07-028473-3

One of the intangibles critical to high-performing teams is what Barry Heermann calls "team spirit." It is that which creates synergy within the team, making the team more productive than the sum of its individual members.

This book provides exercises to help teams develop team spirit during every stage of their development. This development follows the "team spirit spiral" model: initiating strong team relationships; visioning the future; claiming goals and roles; celebrating team accomplishments; letting go of frustrations, conflicts, and disappointments; and serving customers and teams.

For each stage, a series of exercises is provided, with learning goals, preparation needs, detailed steps, facilitator expectations, time requirements, and copy-ready handouts. Each exercise is designed to help move the team from dissonance toward consonance - an effort described by the author with a musical metaphor as developing "team spirit harmonics." These exercises are targeted at start-up and mature teams, task forces, and cross-functional teams. There is also a series of activities specifically designed to help team facilitators grow in their ability to create team spirit. A plan for an extended series of half-day workshops is provided - allowing team development to take place over six to 12 months.

This book is a lesser-known classic - a useful toolbook for all those charged with nurturing high-performance teams.

Facilitation at a Glance: Your Pocket Guide to Facilitation

by Ingrid Bens

GOAL/QPC & AQP, 2000

ISBN: 1-890416-05-3, ASQ Item: P882

This book is a pocket-sized condensation of the author's Facilitating With Ease! As such, it provides team leaders and facilitators with a portable guide on how to get more out of meetings with an emphasis on the core practices and process tools needed to make routine team meetings more productive.

It discusses the nature of facilitation and its stages, identifies structural elements to be provided by the facilitator, and presents a variety of process interventions to use. These interventions include assessing participant concerns, encouraging participation, helping to resolve conflict, guiding the team toward effective decisions, managing meeting logistics, and working with meeting content. Tools range from the basic (such as brainstorming and force field analysis) to the more complex (such as building a decision grid and diagnosing meeting effectiveness using a survey).

In all, there are 28 processes discussed, 16 checklists provided, and 20 model surveys and worksheets presented. Many of these tools are given only abbreviated coverage and have barely enough detail to allow a facilitator to actually use them. The 14 process tools of the last chapter receive the best detail: discussion of what each tool is, when it should be used, its purpose, its outcome, step-by-step instructions, and sometimes an example.

This book is a nice concise reference for experienced facilitators, but it does not provide the level of detail that is needed for those with less experience.

The Facilitator's Fieldbook: Step-by-Step Procedures, Checklists and Guidelines, Samples, and Templates

by Thomas Justice and David W. Jamieson

AMACOM, 1999

ISBN: 0-8144-7038-6

Written in a way that makes it useful to facilitators of all experience levels, The Facilitator's Fieldbook contains a comprehensive mix of tools ranging from basic concepts, checklists, and procedures to more sophisticated methods for the experienced facilitator. Each tool is presented with sufficient background information and procedural details for appropriate use.

After an introduction to facilitation, tools are presented in five sections:

* Meeting preparation.

* Working with the group.

* Follow-up.

* Special meetings.

* Facilitating with technology.

Each section has an overview that discusses primary facilitation tasks and identifies which of the various tools is provided for assistance.

The tools span a wide range of types - detailed task and checklists, training guides, blank forms, handout materials, and procedures for handling everything from selecting a team to preserving a record of what happened at meetings. The special section on facilitating with technology provides information on the selection and use of technology for conducting effective electronic meetings (teleconferences and videoconferences) and making the most out of groupware.

Whether you read this book straight through or study specific topics only when needed, this thorough guide to facilitation is a very useful reference for everyone working with groups of people.

The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team-Building Tools: Best of the Annuals

edited by Elaine Biech

Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2001

ISBN: 0-7879-5693-7

This book for trainers, consultants, and facilitators is a "special compilation of material from previous Pfeiffer publications [which] draws on the team-building expertise from authors of the past 37 Annuals and the 10 Handbooks." (p. vii) It contains 49 contributed articles, and is organized around a model of 10 building blocks judged by the editor as characteristics of high performance teams: clear goals, defined roles, open and clear communication, effective decision making, balanced participation, valued diversity, managed conflict, positive atmosphere, cooperative relationships, and participative leadership.

Materials in the book include 19 learning games, 22 developmental exercises, nine expository articles, and two evaluation tools. Activities are designed to help teams diagnose where they are as a group, understand individual roles and behaviors, and surface and clarify issues. Each of the games and exercises includes goals, group size, time required, materials needed, process details, variations, and all necessary forms and handout materials. Process details give the person leading the team-building session tips on how much time should be allowed and what questions to ask at each step, and typically includes instructions on debriefing the group at the end of the activity. Many tools also contain a list of reference materials to give the leader additional background.

The book contains a good ratio of theory to practice. It should be in the library of anyone in a team-building role.

Retreats That Work: Designing and Conducting Effective Offsite s for Groups and Organizations

by Sheila Campbell and Marianne Liteman

Jossey-Bass, 2003

ISBN: 0-7879-6444-1

Retreats are a special type of meeting - generally held off site with a group that works together closely and having the purpose of exploring a specific issue or planning for the future. They generally require more extensive planning than most meetings. This book provides detailed checklists, describes useful activities, and discusses a wealth of topics relevant to the preparation for and facilitation of a retreat.

Chapters are grouped into four major sections: a convenor's guide, a planner's guide, a facilitator's guide, and an activity manual. The three guides focus on providing step-by-step procedures and checklists, as well as useful information for the people chartering, designing, and running a retreat. The activity manual contains complete instructions and facilitator notes for more than three dozen activities and exercises useful in accomplishing retreat objectives.

Many of the tools in this book will be familiar to experienced facilitators - especially the chapters on leading the retreat, helping participants make decisions and plan for action, and recovering when things go awry. The most beneficial sections deal with the process of planning for the retreat, with a number of extensive checklists presented. These checklists have also been collected into an appendix, making them easy to find and use.

If you ever need to plan and facilitate a retreat or other special off-site event, this book will be essential reading.

The Team Handbook, 3rd Ed.

by Peter R. Scholtes, Brian L. Joiner, and Barbara Streibel

Oriel Inc., 2003

ISBN: 1-884731-26-0, ASQ Item: P1030

Probably the most enduring of the classic toolbooks is The Team Handbook. Originally published in 1988 as a basic manual for improvement teams and revised in 1996 to include material useful to other types of teams, the third edition incorporates new concepts and tools from Six Sigma and lean thinking.

Improvement approaches now include a five-step plan for improving daily work (based on lean thinking), Joiner's seven-step problem-solving method, and Six Sigma's DMAIC problem-solving method, as well as Deming's PDCA cycle. These overarching processes are described along with 16 improvement strategies (which serve as subprocesses within the general improvement approaches) and a wealth of basic task tools to use as part of the various strategies (including more than 15 new ones).

In addition to the enhancements to technical content, the third edition presents more information on the roles and responsibilities of those involved with improvement - sponsors, coaches, team leaders, and team members - as well as overall project and team management issues. The look and layout is largely the same as previous editions, although topics were rearranged for better flow.

A significant new addition is the availability of 21 worksheets at the book's Web site. Most of the worksheets are in Microsoft Word files and make full use of Word's forms capabilities. Several are formatted as Microsoft Excel files and contain calculation formulas. Instruction files accompany more complex worksheets. All forms are also available in Adobe Acrobat format.

This book is well organized, very readable, and useful to everyone involved with improvement at any level of the organization.

Turning Team Performance Inside Out: Team Types and Temperament for High-Impact Results

by Susan Nash

Davies-Black Publishing, 1999

ISBN: 0-89106-136-3

Important skills to successfully achieve team objectives are understanding individual personalities, drawing on individual strengths, and balancing weaknesses. To do this, team members need to obtain insight into their own behavior and that of their teammates.

This book takes an exceptionally detailed look at three ways of viewing personality and their implications for team performance. The detail is such that readers will need to spend significant study time to get the most out of the book. The language is not clinical, however, allowing the book to be both fascinating and readable.

The first section of the book presents tools for profiling personality in three different ways: temperaments (artisan, guardian, rational, and idealist), preferred information-gathering and decision-making functions, (sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, extroverted/introverted), and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Exercises are provided to do a self-assessment and extensive tables are provided to explain each classification.

The second part of the book identifies how to improve team performance by looking at five characteristics of high-performing teams and explaining how understanding personality can improve performance. These five characteristics are the "SCORE" model: strategy, clear roles and responsibilities, open communication, rapid response, and effective leadership.

In all, there are 51 detailed tables to help explain the various personality classifications, 36 individual and team exercises, 25 sets of discussion questions, and several extended case studies.

This is a must-have for anyone functioning in a team or group setting - whether as leader, facilitator, or member.

Teamwork From the Inside Out Fieldbook: Exercises and Tools for Turning Team Performance Inside Out

by Susan Nash and Courtney Bolin

Davies-Black Publishing, 2003

ISBN: 0-89106-172-X

This book is intended to accompany Turning Team Performance Inside Out. Chapters parallel those in the original with the first three focusing on how to identify individual personality types and the balance of the book helping individuals and teams understand the impact on group dynamics and performance.

Content is not provided at the same level of detail as the original book (only 16 tables explaining personality types) because this is essentially the student book - not the teacher's guide. The emphasis is on providing a host of thought-provoking exercises (79 in all). Because this is intended as a workbook, enough space is provided for the reader to take notes in the margins and to complete the assessments, questions, and other activities. Questions also are provided to help a team debrief individual and group exercises.

If you plan to actually work through the concepts of the original book with your team, this fieldbook is a collection of essentials and will serve as a useful workbook for team members.

Focus: Improvement Processes

Business Process Improvement Toolbox

by Bjorn Andersen

ASQ Quality Press, 1999

ISBN: 0-87389-438-3; ASQ Item: H1010

This book is structured around an improvement model that includes process documentation, performance measurement, self-assessment and performance evaluation, improvement planning, and improvement. Tools are provided relating to each step, with the bulk falling in the category of improvement tools. These are subcategorized into tools for understanding problems, analyzing problems, generating ideas and reaching consensus, organizing, and improving.

For each tool a brief set of steps is given, along with a simple example. Only a minimal amount of detail is provided, however, with discussions tending to be somewhat superficial. The two exceptions are the sections on business process reengineering (13 pages) and on benchmarking (16 pages) - 3% of the tools comprising roughly 15% of the book.

Reference works are listed at the end of each chapter. Readers should be aware, however, that more than half of these citations are for books published in Europe that may not be readily available in the United States. Another concern is that numerous typographical errors were noticed-some serious enough to interfere with understanding what the author is trying to say. Several even resulted in critical technical errors in the section on SPC, where a number of the formulas for control limits were incorrect.

All in all, this was a disappointing book. Although there are some interesting sections, they do not compensate for the general superficiality and the errors. These issues make it a poor reference book for both the expert and the novice.

The Memory Jogger II: A Pocket Guide of Tools for Continuous Improvement and Effective Planning

by Michael Brassard and Diane Ritter

GOAL/QPC, 1994

ISBN: 1-879364-44-1, ASQ Item: P834

A classic in the field of improvement processes toolbooks, The Memory Jogger II leads the family of Memory Jogger(TM) pocket guides. This series includes:

* The Six Sigma Memory Jogger II (2002) - which provides an overview of Six Sigma and the DMAIC model, plus 37 associated tools.

* The Black Belt Memory Jogger (2002) - which provides information on 23 topics, each of which is related to one or more tools, more than half of which are statistical in nature.

* The Lean Enterprise Memory Jogger (2002) - which discusses nine processes critical to becoming a lean organization.

* The Problem Solving Memory Jogger (2000) - which uses a seven-step problem-solving process as the model for discussing 24 key tasks.

There are also Memory Joggers dealing with project management, teams, creativity tools, ISO 9000:2000, and tools for educators.

The Memory Jogger II contains 27 tools presented alphabetically. Tool selection is facilitated with a chart separating them into three categories: working with ideas, working with numbers, and working in teams. Each tool contains sections covering why the tool should be used, what it does, step-by-step directions on how to do it, worked out example(s), and variations.

These compact reference books are an excellent value for everyone involved in improvement efforts. Be aware that discounted prices are generally not available unless you are a member of GOAL/QPC, order in quantity, or select one of the two "libraries" that bundle six related titles together.

The Quality Toolbox

by Nancy R. Tague

ASQ Quality Press, 1995

ISBN: 0-87389-314-X, ASQ Item: H0861

This classic is a true toolbox-a collection of tools presented in alphabetical order with two organizing chapters identifying their usefulness to various stages of the quality improvement process: mission, customer requirements, current state, opportunities, root causes, changes, "do it," monitor, standardize, and learnings.

The 51 tools span six categories: idea creation tools, process analysis tools, cause analysis tools, planning tools, evaluation tools, and data collection and analysis tools. A matrix helps identify which tools are designed to expand thinking and which to focus thinking. Each tool gives a description, when to use, a step-by-step procedure, a worked-out example, useful variations on when or how to use, and considerations (tips, tricks, and warnings). Three statistical tools are included, with formulas and examples: control charts, process capability, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality.

The Quality Toolbox is a solid nuts and bolts tool book with discussions on theory kept to a minimum. Aside from this limitation, it is an excellent reference toolbook, with sufficient detail to assist those who need to train others in tool use.

The Six Sigma Way Team Fieldbook: An Implementation Guide for Process Improvement Teams

by Peter S. Pande, Robert P. Neuman, and Roland R. Cavanagh

McGraw-Hill Trade, 2001

ISBN: 0-07137-314-4

If you've ever wondered what Six Sigma was all about, this book provides both an explanation of the Six Sigma process improvement model and key tools for each stage. Although designed specifically for Six Sigma team leaders and team members, it provides practical processes, procedures, and advice to anyone doing improvement projects.

Part one of the book summarizes the concepts from The Six Sigma Way (2000), by the same authors. Part two presents more than 90 tools useful to the DMAIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control). Three chapters are devoted to each process stage:

* A chapter with concepts, improvement process details, and case examples demonstrating the tools in use (many extending through several tools).

* A chapter giving instructions for each of the tools, which range from detailed procedures to specialized worksheets.

* A chapter dealing with team issues typically encountered during that stage of improvement.

Many of the tools will be familiar to people working on process improvement projects. Tools related to "measure," however, focus on selecting measures, designing the sampling plan, and collecting data-topics seldom covered with this level of detail in the context of improvement processes. The book does not provide any statistical formulas other than those necessary for doing a "sigma calculation," although many of the simpler techniques are discussed. This limits its usefulness for more advanced readers.

Overall, this is a highly readable and interesting book, with excellent long-term reference value.

Key Points/Concepts Addressed:

1. Many toolbooks have been written to help team members, leaders, facilitators, and sponsors improve their processes and practices. These toolbooks provide step-by-step procedures, checklists, forms, exercises and games, and models.

2. This article reviews many of the more recent and most popular toolbooks, rating their utility and providing a concise overview of their contents.

3. The reviewed books are divided into five categories: leadership and consulting processes, human resources development (coaching and training), organizational analysis and development, team building and facilitation, and improvement processes.

Christine Robinson has more than 25 years of leadership experience in quality systems for the process industries and recently has switched to the service sector, working for MIT Lending. She has a master's degree in quality, values, and leadership from Marian College and is an ASQ certified quality manager.

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Fall 2003
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