Teamwork And The Bottom Line

This volume is based on extensive research findings and the author's observation that successful managers are people who understand the dynamics of group interaction and can use that understanding effectively to motivate members of their group to achieve important goals. Blending theory, research, and practice, the book emphasizes a "management through teamwork" strategy in task groups that increases both the quality and quantity of goods and services, improves decision making, and is beneficial to their members. While closely linked to a large body of applied research evidence, Teamwork and the Bottom Line makes liberal use of examples drawn from business oriented publications and from the author's experiences in manufacturing, service, sales, information systems, health care, and other work environments. It includes numerous ideas that can help managers become more secure in their current roles by developing a more complete knowledge base about potential "change levers."

This volume is based on extensive research findings and the author's observation that successful managers are people who understand the dynamics of group interaction and can use that understanding effectively to motivate members of their group to achieve important goals. Blending theory, research, and practice, the book emphasizes a "management through teamwork" strategy in task groups that increases both the quality and quantity of goods and services, improves decision making, and is beneficial to their members. While closely linked to a large body of applied research evidence, Teamwork and the Bottom Line makes liberal use of examples drawn from business oriented publications and from the author's experiences in manufacturing, service, sales, information systems, health care, and other work environments. It includes numerous ideas that can help managers become more secure in their current roles by developing a more complete knowledge base about potential "change levers."

For many managers, teamwork is a concept that has little to do with making money and staying in business. Breakthrough Teamwork changes that perception by offering insights from companies (such as Motorola, Monsato, Westinghouse, and Amoco) that have experienced significant breakthroughs in productivity and profitability as a result of Romig's unique process called Structured Teamwork. Breakthrough Teamwork provides you with the clear definition or methodology for how to succeed with teamwork, while also providing concrete examples of how teams using the Structured Teamwork approach have contributed to their organizations' bottom-line results. Focusing on successful implementation of teams, Breakthrough Teamwork reveals a summary of 1,200 studies of "what works" in business and industry, a new definition of teamwork that endures as a team develops and improves its structures, a structured methodology for implementing successful teams, and examples of what the most effective teams in corporate America have accomplished for their organizations using this system.

The concept of Quality Management began in the manufacturing sector, but a growing concern with quality in other areas of the economy has led to its wider application in service industries, government, education, and other not-for-profit agencies. A great quantity of material related to quality management has been produced in recent years, much of it by small presses, professional and trade associations, and consultants. The Quality Management Sourcebook is the first in-depth, international guide to the most useful material and sources of information. The book begins with the origins of quality management, explains how it evolved, examines its current situation, and explores the future. The book is divided into five main sections: * Introduction: General sources for information * Applications of total quality management * Focus on specific aspects of quality management * Quality in the future * Resource materials The Quality Management Sourcebook is an essential reference for everybody involved in either the theory or practice of quality management: in manufacturing, retail, banking, and insurance, the utilities industry, the transportation industry, health, education and other public services. Over 900 citations cover books, journal articles, technical reports, video training materials and software. Each is followed by a descriptive annotation. Resource materials include strategies for locating additional information; training materials; organizations; and consultants. The book concludes with a glossary of quality management terms, a name index, a title index, and a detailed subject index.

The authors of this text review the most current thinking on HR initiatives associated with current organisational performance and investigate how the field will need to mobilise in new ways to meet the demands of the future.

'Bottom-Line Call Center Management breaks new ground by addressing key skills and techniques in assessing and implementing effective management practices to maximize the human and capital resources at the call center manager's disposal. Drawing on the author's unique data sets and years of research experience in the industry, 'Bottom-Line Call Center Management' helps call center managers evaluate their current status, implement cost-effective changes, and measure results of their changes to ensure a culture of accountability within the call center at all levels increasing the bottom line. The processes include an evaluation of current customer service representatives, defining, delimiting and assessing the labor shed of the center, and exploring the customer service representative's unique skills and leveraging those skills into a unique and dynamic work environment. Likewise, the process also determines the learning skills and competencies necessary to meet and exceed the basic requirements for all call centers. Furthermore, each step has a pre, in-process, and post evaluation to ensure projects are progressing according to plan. Lastly, all evaluations are measured against the bottom line through a return on investment (ROI) model. The framework for this book uses the culture of call centers, defined and lived through the customer service representatives, as the lens to view all processes, measurements, accountability and return on investment. This framework is critical since there has been much emphasis on technology-as-a-solution which treats the employees as a hindrance instead of the enablers of positive change. Likewise, customer service representatives eventually act as strong determinants of success with the call center and thus the bottom line.

Learning to work effectively and efficiently in a group is an important part of learning to be a substantive contributor in today’s business environment. Teams: A Competency Based Approach provides a solid coverage of the underlying theory of teamwork, complemented by examples, to help students learn and practice the competencies that will allow them to take advantage of team-building opportunities. This book helps readers to systematically identify, analyze and manage issues that arise as a result of teamwork by emphasizing four important objectives for successful team-members: Recognizing opportunities for accomplishing goals within a team context Appreciating other individuals' attributes in a group setting Analyzing the types of environments in which teamwork is most advantageous Identifying and building the necessary competencies to leverage successful group experiences With exercises and activities designed to allow readers to engage with the material and build specific team-oriented competencies, this book offers undergraduate students interested in management, team building, and human resource training the tools needed for successful group experiences.