| This study investigated differences in perceptions of five team management skills (leadership, interpersonal, communication, adaptability, and decision making) and where those skills are being acquired and developed. A total of 332 managers from a Fortune 500 communications corporation participated in the study. Managers were from executive, middle and front-line management positions.;A 15-question survey, Survey of Team Management Skills, was developed by the researcher for use in this study. Multivariate analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance statistical analyses were used to answer the research questions.;Findings indicated that perceptions of importance of team management skills did not differ between managers who had completed degrees in management or business and those who did not have degrees in this area. Middle and front-line managers differed significantly on the degree to which they practiced decision making skills. Female managers differed significantly from male managers on the degree they practiced interpersonal and adaptability skills. Managers' perceptions of the importance of team management skills did not differ by type of employee managed, and managers did not differ on the perceptions of the importance of team management skills by years worked for the company. Managers differed significantly in perceptions of the importance of leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills by reported perceptions of the company's management style, and no differences were found in perceptions of importance of team management skills by managers' assigned region.;Front-line managers spent more time on technical activities than middle managers, and executive level managers spent more time in conceptual activities than middle or front-line managers. Managers did not differ on their reported time spent in people-related activities. Managers reported the workplace as the most important avenue for acquiring and developing team management skills, personal resources (e.g., mentors, books, and publications) as the second most important avenue, with college ranked third.;Based on the findings of this study, managers reported the order of the importance of the five team management skills to be leadership, interpersonal, adaptability, decision making and communication skills. The rank-order based on the degree of practice was adaptability, interpersonal, leadership, decision making, and communication skills. |
