Virtuoso Teams: Lessons from Teams that Changed their Worlds
Authors: Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer
Price: £20
Pages: 205
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0273702181
As a ‘how to’ book, this differs from others in that it looks at famous figures and how they led their own virtuoso teams. Some you would not immediately think of as being a ‘team’ (such as the creators of the musical West Side Story), while with the likes of Thomas Edison we have grown accustomed to thinking of as an individual.
Each chapter is headed with a cartoon depicting the team in question, and ends with a summary and key questions on the chapter. Some are more readable than others, but if you get nothing else from this book, you will have added to your general knowledge and be a whiz at quizzes.
The last chapter introduces the ‘Deepdive’ method of teamworking, and is followed by a ‘how-to’ guide and samples of agendas and materials to use.
There is a good idea behind the book and it is well written, value for money, and the cartoons are witty – but it did not inspire me.
The writers say you can dip in and out, and this is the method I would recommend. Read about the people who interest you most, forget the rest, and cut to the chase at the end.
Useful? Three stars
Well-written? Four stars
Practical? Two stars
Inspirational? Three stars
Value for money? Three stars
Overall? Three stars
By Suzanne Fretwell, HR officer, Elliott Group
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