Managing Teams

INTRODUCTION

Working with teams, whether as leader of a single team or manager of several, is an essential part of a manager’s job. Team-working is rapidly becoming the preferred practice in many organizations as traditional corporate hierarchies give way to flat, multi-skilled working methods. This section is an indispensable and practical guide to leading teams with expertise, covering subjects such as defining the skills required to complete a project, establishing trust between individuals within a team, and maximizing the performance of that team. The section is vital reading for anyone involved in teamwork, whether as a novice or as an experienced team leader. A self-assessment exercise allows you to evaluate your own leadership abilities and potential, while several concise tips offer practical advice.

UNDERSTANDING HOW TEAMS WORK

Teamwork is the foundation of all successful management. Managing teams well is a major and stimulating challenge to any manager, from novice to experienced hand.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEAM?

A true team is a living, constantly changing, dynamic force in which a number of people come together to work. Team members discuss their objectives, assess ideas, make decisions, and work toward their targets together.

WORKING TOGETHER

All successful teams demonstrate the same fundamental features: strong and effective leadership; the establishment of precise objectives; making informed decisions; the ability to act quickly upon these decisions; communicating freely; mastering the requisite skills and techniques to fulfill the project at hand; providing clear targets for the team to work toward; and — above all — finding the right balance of people prepared to work together for the common good of the team.

WORKING WELL TOGETHER

A team of managers discusses a new idea that has been put forward by a member of the team. All the members of the team air free to join the discussion. Later the team leader will assess their contributions. Example of discussion and role of members:

• A team member has idea prompted by presentation



• A team leader assesses new idea



• A colleague introduces new idea to group



• A listener watches reactions of all team before delivering opinion



• One member of team questions all new ideas

ANALYZING TEAM TASKS

Successful teams can be formed by 2 to up to 25 people, hut much n important than size is shape — the pattern of working into which team members settle to perform their given tasks. There are three basic methods of performing a task:

• Repetitive tasks and familiar work require each team member to have a fixed role, which is fulfilled independently, as on assembly lines.

• Projects that require some creative input require team members to have fixed roles and working procedures, but also to work in unison, as when generating new products.

• Work that demands constant creative input and personal contributions requires people to work very closely as partners. This style of working is prevalent among senior management.

TIPS

1. Remember that each member has something to add to your team



2. Formulate team objectives carefully, and always take them seriously.



3. Remember that team members must support each other.



4. Break long-term aims into short- term projects.



5. Allocate a clear deadline for each of your projects.

ACHIEVING POTENTIAL

There is no limit to the potential of a good team. Given an “impossible” task, team members will reinforce each other’s confidence as they seek to turn the impossible into reality The collective ability to innovate is stronger than that of the individual because the combined brainpower of a team, however small in number, exceeds that of any one person. By harnessing this power, a team can go beyond simple, useful improvements to achieve real breakthroughs. For example, in one company an engineering team was asked to double machine reliability. They thought it impossible, but went on to produce a plan that tripled performance.

WORKING COLLECTIVELY

To harness and take full advantage of team-power; the individual brains and personalities involved must be encouraged to collaborate. This process is vital in generating results. Giving stretching goals to a team will encourage it to work collectively and introduce a sense of urgency — potentially eliminating bureaucracy as it concentrates on getting positive results in the shortest possible time. The impact of a single team breakthrough can, by its example, galvanize an entire company.

KNOWING TEAM GOALS

Once a team has been formed, the next major step is to establish its goals. There is little point in having a team that is raring to go if its members are all pursuing disparate aims. Goals may well change over the course of a team existence; for example, if a new product is being launched onto the market, the first priority will be for the team to concentrate on research into its competition. If the aim is to improve customer satisfaction, the first goal will be to find ways of providing a higher standard of service. According to the circumstance, teamworking goals might include:

• Increasing the rate of productivity in a manufacturing company;

• Improving the quality of production;

• Involving all employees in the decision-making process to increase job satisfaction;

• Looking at working systems and practices to reduce time wastage;

• Working together with customers to build closer relationships so that the needs of the market can be better understood.

Fig.: IMPROVING PERFORMANCE: In a survey of 230 personnel executives, the American Society of Training and Development found that teamworking led to a substantial rise in performance in key areas. Areas in which team performance was measured vs. Reported gains in performance (%)

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Cross-functional, multi disciplinary interdepartmental teams are spreading fast in the West, having been established in Japan for many years. The democratic attitudes of many North Americans have helped them to adapt well to this way of working, and in some British companies, managers already spend half their time working in such teams. Continental Europeans still tend to be more comfortable with the traditional hierarchical systems, but increasing competitive pressures and the need for speed-to- market are now forcing change on managers in many industries.

Next: Matching Team to Task