Teams: More than just Workmates: 8 Key Thoughts for Successful Implementation

Self-directed work teams were so effective at Procter & Gamble in the 1960's that they were considered a trade secret for many years. Today, companies around the world have discovered how powerful teamwork can be in terms of increased productivity, responsiveness to customers, agility in implementing change, increased "ownership" by employees and its overall impact on profitability. In addition, teams can improve morale, communication and cooperation.

Many leaders would like to have more of a team environment which could mean anything from people simply getting along with each other to a formal self-directed work team. However, simply assigning people to teams and telling them to work together isn't enough to get the results you want. You must also look at your corporate structure and culture at the same time. If you really want a team-based company, it's likely there will be a radical transformation of how your business operates.

All of these issues need much more space than we have here to fully develop them, but here they are in point form to get you started.

1. It doesn't matter what you say, people will behave in accordance with what you do. Therefore, review your compensation package to see how you are motivatting people to behave. What behaviours do you reward? If you want to encourage teamwork, then give rewards based on team results. That means you must assign team goals. Recognition needs to go primarily to the "star" team, not the "star" individual. The focus is on "we", not "me".

2. Some people talk of their employees as "resources" or "assets". People are people, not things. Unlike assets, people can choose to buy into the dream. They can choose to unleash their brainpower and creativity while a machine only does what it was built to do. Treat your team members as people and you will develop true team spirit.

3. Most company structures are based on the premise that people can't be trusted. So, we have layers of management to ensure the span of control is narrow enough that a) close supervision can be given and b) that the level of delegation is minimal, with everyone on a short leash.

People are told not only what to do, but how to do it. A detailed reporting system ensures that every activity is tightly monitored. Managing people with the expectation that they will be responsible and do a good job is empowering and allows you to flatten your organization. Accountability provides the balance to offset reduced supervision.

4. Instead of a "command and control" structure, change the paradigm and consider all of the leadership structure as a service department to support that part of your business that is closest to customers and the actual "doing" of the work.

5. Take a hard look at how you treat different categories of employees. It's hard to create a "team" culture when you have a "class" structure in your business. From the parking lot to the office to how you travel, examine everything from the eyes of a typical team member and find out if it supports a feeling of community or a feeling of hierarchy.

6. Teams must exist for a reason. Make sure they know why they exist and what they must accomplish. They should know how their goals tie into the organization's high level strategic and business goals.

7. Teams can't operate in the dark. You will need to provide enough information to enable them to manage themselves. You may have to be more open about results than you have been.

8. The boss can't "boss" team members around without losing the power of teams. The "team leader" must act as an advisor, facilitator and coach. You may need to expand your own skill set to prepare for teams.

Implementing teams is clearly a lot of work, needs 100% top-level commitment and will transform any organization. Is it worth it to make all these changes just for the sake of having a team environment?

Yes! John Kotter, Harvard professor, studied companies that implemented self-directed work teams in 7 countries and discovered: 93% of them reported higher productivity, 86% lowered operating costs, 86% improved quality and 70% had improved employee morale.

Kimball Fisher, a world-renowned expert on self-directed work teams, reports that team-based companies often see a 30-50% improvement in key organizational measurements.

Evaluate your "team spirit" at http://www.canlead.com/team_audit.htm nnn