Team Mapping: A New Approach to Managerial Leadership

Managers are team leaders. The days of traditional authority based solely on respect for the position have gone. Today respect has to be earned in organisations where managers will increasingly manage people who are in different professional and technical fields from themselves. A major key to success, therefore, is understanding the personal work preferences and motivations of both themselves and their team members. The approach outlined here emphasises the choices people can make between roles which are “advising” or “organising”. However, in choosing such roles, individuals will usually prefer either more of an “exploring” or more of a “controlling” approach to their job. It is possible, therefore, to use the “team leadership wheel” to identify one's own personal preferences and strengths and compare them with the requirements of the job and the contribution of other team members. This should enable managers to select and develop more effective teams which have a balance of abilities and skills. Moreover, the framework provides a language and a visual system for thinking through and discussing personal issues in appraisal and considering issues in promotion and career choice.