To understand self-managed teams; it
is important to find an acceptable definition.
Self-managed teams are a group of employees that are responsible and
accountable for all or most aspects of producing a product or delivering a
service. Self-managed teams are provided
an increased responsibility of ownership of the tasks they are assigned. One of the biggest benefits of a self-managed
team is the cross training developmental opportunities that occur when an
individual has to fill in when team members are absent. The decision making process normally involves
less conflict between the team members because they make the decisions and
agree upon how to accomplish task. The individuals
who decide on the task are the ones who accomplish the job. The last benefit that I feel I need to discuss
is team cohesion. Self-managed teams are
able to truly succeed and fail as a team, which can promote teamwork and
relationship-building.
However, there are some drawbacks to
self-managed teams. One of the biggest
problems I have seen is groupthink; “the go along to get along mentality” that
results in an accelerated, false consensus. Another drawback associated with self-managed
teams is that the decision-making process may take longer to finalize as
compared to when there is no authority figure.
One fact that must be kept in perspective is self-managed teams still
require leadership. This leader is
usually appointed to guide the team through the decision-making process, acting
much like a chairperson for a committee. Last but not least is the fact that self-managed
teams are prone to personality clashes and without a strong leadership presence
the team can quickly breakdown.
Would
you like to work within such a team?
Knowing my personality style, I have
not always had the best experience with the concept of a self-managed team. I am a person who needs structure, clear direction,
and well established parameters. However
if it were the right group of individuals, I think it would be an interesting
experience to be part of a self-managed team that relates to my career
aspirations. By keeping an open mind, I feel being a member of such a team
would not only enable me share my experiences, it would also allow me to learn
new techniques to grow as a professional.
What
competencies would you need to develop to be an effective external manager of a
self-managed work team?
At first I was wondering why a
person needs competence to manage a self-managed team. Then I think back to the self-managed teams I
have had to assemble for special projects and I realized that self-managed
teams are not without leadership. When
you really think about it, the role of the leader in self-managing teams is
vital to the team’s success, because this team will be a standalone entity with
a lot of self-imposed accountability and responsibility. Without a doubt, the first and foremost skill
needed is the ability to communicate clearly and concisely. Before a team is established as a
self-managed team, it must be given direction and guidance. This is done when the external manager clearly
communicates with the team and establishes organizational goals. Once the initial communication process is
done, the job of the external manager is not done. He or she must have the foresight to delegate
responsibilities to the team members and give them the opportunity to do the
job they have been given. In other
words, the external managers must delegate and give the team the authority to
make decisions. Let them learn from
their successes and failures. As retired
General Stanley McCrystal once said his boss taught him, “A good leader will
let his subordinates fail without letting them become failures.
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