Recently, I was conducting a training with a fantastic group of 50 leaders. To make the design of the one-day offsite easier, the sponsor and I had decided to do one exercise by teams - thinking we could save some time as it would be quick to organize. However, when we asked everyone to move into their teams - chaos ensued.
We were met with multiple questions:
- Were they to meet with their direct reports?
- Were they to meet with their peers?
- Or perhaps the few individuals in the room on their project teams?
- And if so, which project?
Luckily, it was all easily sorted out, and we moved on. But it got me thinking…
Who Is Your Team?
It’s a great question. In many ways, the response we got was positive. The leaders saw themselves as part of many teams and recognized the different roles they held.
However, lately, I’ve been hearing from more and more executives that when they’ve asked this question, people most often respond with the function(s) or group(s) that they manage (i.e. their direct reports) rather than their peer groups.
I see this as a shift, and I’m not sure it’s a good one. Because it’s also important for team leaders to come together as a peer group to meet organizational challenges.
Project Management Institute estimated that organizations risked $135 million for every $1 billion invested in a project due to team-related issues.
For example:
In one case this response came from a firm that wants to become more matrixed and collaborative as AI begins to shift its value add. The organization is also hoping to return to more in-person work. Navigating these changes effectively will require them to come together as a team.
Another example is from an older organization that’s transforming its culture from an old-school family style to something more operationally oriented. It involved a shift in the organization’s remit, new leadership at the helm, and a changing of the guard as legacy staff begin to retire. Bringing leaders together to work as a team will be important for establishing the new culture they wish to create across the organization.
A final example is from an organization that has many of its working staff serving in a contract capacity. While internally the leaders consider these folks a team - their views may vary. And this impacts commitment, loyalty, and retention.
Check Your Team's Foundations
There are many things we can do to help groups function more as teams. And there are some foundational issues that can get in the way such as:
//1 Poorly defined roles and responsibilities.
One study found that 83% of respondents believe clarity on roles and responsibilities is crucial for a team’s success. Various other studies found it improves engagement, job satisfaction, and performance.
//2 Roles and responsibilities that do not contribute to the team's success.
For example, you may have team members who are highly specialized in a very specific skill or knowledge area that isn’t relevant to the team’s current goals or may not be able to contribute meaningfully to the team’s overall success.
//3 Matrixed organizations or project teams without a clear leadership and operating structure.
For example, when people are pulled together from multiple teams, there often isn’t one person in charge. Or it lacks oversight and hasn’t been given clear deadlines.
//4 Processes such as decision-making that are not collaborative or inclusive.
Inclusivity in decisions often leads to greater buy-in and commitment from team members. Gallup reports that employees who feel their opinions are valued and included in decision-making are more engaged and exhibit higher levels of performance.
//5 Lack of communication or sharing information.
When people use information as power or simply don’t take the time to share it, others are effectively operating in a vacuum and may be acting at cross purposes unintentionally. For example, one ELT I was working with had two leaders doing two huge initiatives that were launching the same day. Both were going to need the same people (research, onboarding, service, training, and client partnering) to launch. Had they not discovered the overlapping launches in a training session I was conducting, it could have been disastrous.
Identify Who Is On Your Team
I’d like to share a few questions to help you dig in a bit and identify all the teams you’re a part of:
- Is your team the group of peers who together report into your boss?
- Is your team your direct report or everyone who reports up to you?
- Is your team the project team you spend the most time on?
- Is your team anyone and everyone who comes together to achieve a common goal(s)?
- Or are you a group of functional leaders working independently?
If you’re the leader of a group:
- Have you created a culture of collaboration?
- Do you have expectations of the team that have been clearly communicated?
- Have the group members bought in?
- Do you have a common vision to rally around?
- Do you have clear group goals that all can contribute to?
These are just a few of the questions that came to mind. I hope you were able to say, “Yes!” to many of them, but if not, we have some ideas for building that sense of camaraderie and identifying areas to improve.
3 Ideas For Cultivating Teamwork
#1- Get Personal
I had the privilege of working with a team for a day last week. At the beginning of the meeting, they were quiet and didn’t respond much to other people’s comments or thoughts.
I introduced a series of questions designed to help people get to know one another personally in the morning to warm them up. Slowly, they began to talk more, and by the afternoon, there was a whole lot more engagement and idea-sharing.
#2 - Assign A Project
Years ago, I was heading up L&D for an organization with five leaders on the same team but not on the same page. They were managing their own functions in silos and not interested in one another’s success.
In anticipation of a new leader joining the executive team (coming in to manage those very leaders), I was asked to help the team. Assigning a project to the team (a great idea from our CEO) and meeting with them regularly as their team coach was a wonderful way to see the team dynamics play out. While it wasn’t easy for anyone involved, it was real. And it showed some areas the team could work on to get to a more collaborative place.
#3 - Reward Teamwork
To create a sense of teamwork, consider compensating for joint goals. This can be tricky for some organizations that haven’t done this in the past, particularly if the team feels there are some players who aren’t as strong or accountable that will need to be depended on to achieve the goal. If that’s the case, you may need to address those concerns first.
Lastly, you could reward team members who are focused on the good of the team and organizational results rather than their individual functions. This can be a great way to incentivize leaders to shift their approach.
Whether your team is dealing with conflict or struggling to regain their footing after change, we know the path to effective and truly collaborative teamwork isn’t always obvious. That’s why we offer a Team Accelerator Program that gives your team the knowledge, skills, and practical experience they need to discover their best work and succeed together.
If you’re interested in working with us, please reach out to us for more information. We’d love to support you.
