Good start on team success.

* Teams: Essentials of Team Building, software, 2000, Summa Interactives (fax [phone], www.summainteractives.com), purchase $625 (single workstation, multiple user license). Other material: none.

This CD lays a conceptual foundation for "the making of high performance teams." From answering the critical first question, "is this a team or a work group?" to diagnosing team process issues, this program will give team sponsors, leaders, and members a lot to think about as they use the synergy of teams to tackle difficult business issues.

The content

The CD is divided into three segments with an estimated total completion time of just under three hours. The three categories are team-building concepts (70 minutes), managing the process (55 minutes), and team exercise (45 minutes).

The first segment engagingly leads the audience to a definition of a team and description of basic team processes. Along the way it interactively tests knowledge of the differences between working groups and teams and introduces the team pyramid of goals, roles, processes, and relationships before challenging us to fill in the blanks for our own definition of a team.

Then the question becomes "To build or not to build a team?" based on the key advantages and disadvantages of working in teams. In Boardroom Theater, a parody of Science Fiction Theater, we roll the cameras on a group struggling with one of the team pitfalls. With a little helpful analysis from our diverse theater critics, "group think" is identified as a potential key disadvantage to avoid. Then we board a team racing car bound for high performance and find the wheels of teams turning through the stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. After rolling through the stages, our prowess on the track of team building is tested via a memory game: matching audio clips to stages of development. The concepts are basic to any team-building training, and this interactive training tool effectively keeps the learner engaged in learning basic team skills.

The second segment, managing the process, is a follow-up to the basic concepts. The learning objectives include understanding the process of change, recognizing and modifying ineffective team behaviors, and choosing members. Each of these elements is key to team success. The process of change, from feeling the pain and wanting to get better to making changes and reviewing progress, is well described. However, the producers missed an opportunity to create a product that provides more substantive support of team start-up activities.

Within the process of managing change, a briefly described step called "identify the problems and needs" is the first glimpse of the actual work process that the team will follow. In this step the "how" of teamwork is all too quickly boiled down to technical and emotional analysis, visualization of change and future state, setting clear objectives, defining strategies and tactics, monitoring efforts, and clearly defining responsibility. While the process of change is critical to effective teamwork, the "how" is equally important and, in a basic introduction, necessary guidance to a team's start-up. More time and attention to the "how" would give users a better starting point for their team activities.

In the second part of this segment, we can peer into the future using our crystal ball. There we find teams in trouble and must assess what has gone wrong. By clicking on a possible explanation of the team problems, we find if the expert agrees. The video clips effectively challenge us to think about the process and encourage early intervention to prevent problematic situations.

On the other hand, the use of historical or current personalities as "experts" challenges us to stay focused on the program. Joseph Stalin talks to us about participation. Lack of careful preparation falls to Amelia Earhart. Dr. Ruth, General Custer, and Napolean Bonaparte round out the cast of experts. Though the intent may have been to make the presentation lively, the roles of these characters in our society and our history interfere with the learning.

The last part of the segment provides a good introduction to the types of team members--core, support, and temporary--necessary for the functioning of an effective team. It's a great lead in for the last segment of the CD, a team exercise.

The exercise leads us to consider all that we have learned and key factors in choosing team members. Starting with a scenario and eight possible candidates, we uncover as much information as we can about each person by reviewing the facts concealed in their respective workstations. After the review it's our job to assemble the best four-person team. The design of the exercise emphasizes the need to take our time when making a selection. If we rush the process, a critical fact may be missed, and the team we form may not reach the desired level of high performance.

The technical side

From a technical perspective, this CD is easy to load, works well, responds quickly, and has some great features. From bookmarking your place to the ability to stop, go, return to main menu, and skip segments, the ease-of-use features make this CD a snap to use. You can even view a clock on screen to check the time remaining, an important feature in a long program.

Video segments are on target and, generally, well produced. The acting is believable, if a bit exaggerated at times. However, in short segments exaggeration is required to quickly make the point.

Recommendation

Use this program as an introduction to team concepts and a practical tool for team member selection. It's fun to use and focuses on the right conceptual foundation for high performance teams. However, count on spending more time teaching the how-to's of the team work process.

Jan Hayes is the acting president of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Rockland, ME.

Teams: Essentials of Team Building

Pro: Good coverage of basics

Fun to use

Good value for price

Con: Insufficient how-to's

Long segments

Rating Category          Teams
Ease of installation     ****
Holds user interest      ***
Production quality       ***
Degree of interactivity  *** 1/2
Quality of interactivity ***
Value of content         ***
Instructional value      ***
Value for the money      *** 1/2
Documentation            NA
Overall rating           ***