Book Review: Teamwork Training by Sharon Boller

There's no question that teamwork usually yields better results than when individuals work alone. In fact, a lack of teamwork can stymie some of the best-laid plans. Seems simple, right? But, like many things, teamwork isn't as simple as it seems. It takes a specific set of skills to develop and foster teamwork. Fortunately, the latest book from ASTD Press, Teamwork Training by Sharon Boller, which is set to release in November 2005, can help you develop the skills needed for both of these essential competencies.

The book begins with a basic explanation of why teamwork often doesn't happen, and what you can do to change that. The first step: to distinguish between fostering teamwork and demonstrating teamwork. The workbook then helps you define and assess both competencies through a series of workshops. But, before the book tackles the workshops, Boller details how to assess each competency, an essential step that will help you determine what's currently going on within your organization (see sample chapter).

The workshops included in the book are:

• Gaining Executive Buy-In: A 90-Minute Overview for Senior Management
• Workshop for Leaders and Managers: Fostering Teamwork
• Workshop for Employees and Team Contributors: Developing Teamwork Skills.

This all-encompassing workbook also includes team-building and learning activities. Plus, the book contains an accompanying CD-ROM, which includes all the handouts, tools, training instruments, and PowerPoint slides that can help you apply your new skills and create training sessions.

As Boller notes in the introduction of this book: "No matter how talented a quarterback is, he doesn't win a football game by himself." This book can help you understand the basic concepts about teamwork skills and help you teach your "quarterback" how to play with everyone else on the team.