Self-Managing Teams
What is a self-managing team? Where are they effective? And where are they not? These are all questions I’ll be exploring in this episode because, to be frank, self-managing teams are phenomenal in the right organization or team—but they don’t work for everyone. However, if you want team leaders to be able to focus on the ‘why’ and specific results, this may be a great route to take.
Listen in to hear how fostering self-accountability and self-management allows team members to be more engaged and motivated in their projects. You’ll get insight into how self-managing teams can affect your program, how HR professionals and executives can implement them into the workplace, and more.
What You’ll Learn In Today’s Episode:
- What a self-managing team is and why they are useful. (2:20)
- The importance of strategy and how to increase productivity. (3:52)
- Downsides and issues involved with self-managing teams. (5:40)
- The strategy of implementing self-managing teams. (6:31)
- Key areas to look at when finding strengths. (10:23)
- How to determine who to report to. (13:56)
- What to be aware of when creating self-managing teams. (16:20)
Actionable Takeaway for HR Professionals:
- Be creative in what you’re looking at and how you’re elevating your people to really get that business result. (17:30)
Actionable Takeaway for Executives:
- Make sure you’re designing your teams intentionally. (17:06)
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“As long as you have the right players on your team, then everyone is marching in the same direction.” - @TraciLScherck Click To Tweet “The bottom line is that self-managing teams are not for every organization and they’re not for every team, but when they are right, they’re phenomenal.” - @TraciLScherck Click To Tweet “Individuals of self-managing teams have increased discretion over their work.” - @TraciLScherck Click To TweetResources In Today’s Episode:
- Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment
- Become a Talent Optimization Foundation Member
- Strengths Finder
- EP 16: Creating Incredible Leaders with Joy Duce
- EP 24: Implementing the Service Delivery Model with Amy Stalker
- EP 28: Creating a Productive, Self-Managing Team with Assad Mirza
- Join the Talent Optimization Foundation to get access to tools, previously recorded webinars, and how-to’s to help you authentically build the HR infrastructure of your business!
Enjoy the show? Use the Links Below to Subscribe:
Traci Scherck: Welcome to talent optimization.
Traci Scherck: where you have all the cylinders one and, at the same time, so, for example, I had worked on each where we were creating a pretty significant project or creating things from scratch.
Traci Scherck: and implementing them, and it wasn’t that we’ve never done what we were doing it it’s the fact that we never taken all the pieces and actually put it on paper and operationalize it so that it could be done, time and time again.
Traci Scherck: Now, on the specific team, there was no one specifically standing paint you have to do this, you have to do that, so that administrative.
Traci Scherck: manager, so the same wasn’t necessarily there and what happened was the team owners themselves in order to get the project completely done now there’s some significant moving us as long as.
Traci Scherck: The right players on the team.
Traci Scherck: awesome direction so welcome to talent optimization again, my name is Tracy Scherck chief talent officer here at elevated talent resulting and today we’re going to talk about what is the self managing team.
Traci Scherck: What are some situations where self managing teams are incredibly incredibly effective in world or possibly not.
Traci Scherck: Because the bottom is the month for every organization and they’re not friendly to me, but when they are.
Traci Scherck: phenomenal and they actually create a significant amount of cost savings for the Organization for creating engagement with those folks that are on the team.
Traci Scherck: So a self managing team is a book that produces results without the standard and illustrate administrative oversight.
Traci Scherck: And why, why did they do this or why do we have self managing teams and it’s because TEAM members and have the ability to grow and foster their experience and strength outside of the specific job title.
Traci Scherck: So if you are someone that listens to you know podcast with us, we had a couple of different podcasts where we actually talked about this one is with joy.
Traci Scherck: And then the other one was with amy stalker well we really talked about project teams and the importance of project teams and and kind of what they’re doing.
Traci Scherck: And how what allows individuals to really grow fast, especially with the new generation coming into the workforce, and so there are some specific things that we see and so.
Traci Scherck: Individuals on self managing teams have increased discretion over there, where it typically leads to increase motivation and employee engagement.
Traci Scherck: It increases freedom to complement other skills and then those teen years have the ability to really ensure that they’re focused on.
Traci Scherck: The why and the specific results versus the how are we getting this thing right so there’s times, where you need very specific standard operating procedures.
Traci Scherck: But then there’s times, where we really need to allow the innovation and the agility to conduct into those teams as we’re creating new areas well again so much of this depends upon the strategy.
Traci Scherck: That is being implemented and what specifically needed, based on the results, and so you know what we find with self managing teams is it does increase productivity by 15 to 20%.
Traci Scherck: It typically increases customer satisfaction sales and service and it decreases returns so let’s talk about what that looks like right.
Traci Scherck: So if you have a self managing team that has the authority to make decisions so let’s say that they are customer service, and you know they essentially are given a box that says hey.
Traci Scherck: Our ultimate goal is to make the customer happy there’s some parameters to this right and so here’s what those parameters are but within that your ultimate goal is.
Traci Scherck: To ensure that we have customer satisfaction to ensure that that customer returns and that they tell all their family and friends about what we’re doing now how you go about doing that may change, based on the situation of the all that you receive.
Traci Scherck: And the other thing that self managing tools do is they increase employee commitment, because they can be more involved in the process right.
Traci Scherck: Well, we can be more involved in the process and have some input into what that looks like we’re engaged, because we can see.
Traci Scherck: That and that had an impact on the other thing is that you know the leadership that has the ability to lead, but your administrative piece of it, of managing that person versus you know saying hey we’re going to lead this team to get these key objectives met it’s a very different approach.
Traci Scherck: And so that’s the why of having self managing teams and how.
Traci Scherck: Are there are downsides to this absolutely and one of the biggest downsides is if the team is not designed appropriately guess what it will fail and so often, I think, when we look at creating self managing teams.
Traci Scherck: They aren’t done because sometimes it’s hard it’s hard to create those self managing teams.
Traci Scherck: If we don’t have really, really clear objectives so we’re going to walk through a set of different criteria for how do you design this team, what does that look like.
Traci Scherck: Based on the strategy that you’re implementing some of those you know attributes of individuals on those teams in order to do that.
Traci Scherck: So when we go to create a self managing team or really any team right and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a self managing team, but anytime we want to start with the strategy of how we’re going to design that team.
Traci Scherck: and the first thing is, what are we doing what’s the mission I are we here right if we all know what that mission is and why we’re here we can align to that so, for example.
Traci Scherck: elevated talent, we believe elevate people optimize this is right so that’s really what we’re all about we’re about elevating.
Traci Scherck: The individuals inside of the organizations that we work with to optimize those businesses to really meet their business results.
Traci Scherck: You know, we believe that every individual, has a right in a choice to be fulfilled in the work that they do.
Traci Scherck: And as managers and leaders inside of organizations, we have an obligation to create the container.
Traci Scherck: For those staff to be fulfilled in your work and, yes, it isn’t and and that’s a big end and to meet the business objectives right.
Traci Scherck: So everything needs to share an elevator talent go specifically towards that, and when we have a common why we can all agree with this is what we’re all here to do.
Traci Scherck: Then the how we do the work isn’t necessarily as important, because we know why we’re doing it and we’re all committed to those results and.
Traci Scherck: And then, what we’re looking at is we’re looking at what are the results that we’re aiming for.
Traci Scherck: It really having clarity around what those results are so those results may be that we are you know we’re going to complete a new product that will be.
Traci Scherck: developed and implemented by xyz date this product must have these three key attributes to it, based on the research that was done from our client base right that’s one thing, it could be a manufacturing, it could be hey we.
Traci Scherck: want to implement a process that actually reduces the lead time and reduces the time to move things through the line or you know what we actually believe that we have more.
Traci Scherck: than we really need and what that’s doing is that’s creating bottlenecks in the process, because there’s too many people involved, and we can start to automate some of that.
Traci Scherck: And, and there was a patch previously where we talked with Assad specifically about this about hey, how do we look at some of those key processes.
Traci Scherck: and ensure that you know we’ve got individuals in the right roles, where they really tied into what they’re doing on that that’s important to them, because then we’re going to get those key business results and.
Traci Scherck: So the first thing is what is the mission, the second is, what are the results that we’re aiming for right we’re all in agreement, towards.
Traci Scherck: We agree with a mission, we agree with each other, results are going to get help understand who am I, and what are my strengths right.
Traci Scherck: And what’s so interesting is so often, we as humans go towards the negative all you have to do is flip on the news and you’re going to hear every single negative thing that’s going on right we don’t hear a lot of positive.
Traci Scherck: But when we can understand ourselves and really play to our strengths and really look at hey my key springs are X y&z if you don’t know what they are i’ve got two sources for you, that are absolutely amazing the first is strength finders you can go take a strength finders assessment.
Traci Scherck: Pretty cost effectively and that’s through gallop and then the others predictive index predictive index as behavioral assessments.
Traci Scherck: really share with you what your personal strengths are, and you can take that right in the show notes, we have a link to that.
Traci Scherck: So you want to understand who you are what your strengths are, and with that specifically looks like.
Traci Scherck: And there’s really a couple of key areas that we look at one of those is a what type of a leader, are you do, you need, specifically through it or to lead individually, we look at your communication styles you like to communicate.
Traci Scherck: You know, and in that communication that communication helps you to think through problems.
Traci Scherck: Meaning hey when I communicate it’s more likely going to be in writing because I need to think through the item before I come forward.
Traci Scherck: and have a conversation about it, or it could be hey you know what I really communicate verbally and I really need to talk through a problem in order to really.
Traci Scherck: understand what that means the next one, is that really that process orientation or the patients are we an individual that has an extreme amount of patients.
Traci Scherck: That can really look at things and understand it and go methodically through it, or we someone that really sees something that needs to change or really quick to adapt and change to it.
Traci Scherck: Are we an individual that the super detail oriented, or are we an individual that is really bullet points button moves really fast right every single one of those is a strength is a long as it is a I can look right situation.
Traci Scherck: And what we wanted to when we’re creating these self managing teams or anything really is, we want to make sure that the strengths of the individuals.
Traci Scherck: are put into the team in the right place, based on the strategy that we’re executing on because what happens then.
Traci Scherck: Is we don’t have to necessarily have that administrative oversight that says thou shall about has to do these specific things.
Traci Scherck: And kind of making sure that those are getting done because the individuals on the team are folding each other action on the goal, because we’re committed to each other, into this outcome.
Traci Scherck: What that does is that creates significant amount of trust with each other, we can actually perform better with the team when we could individually, because we’re not trying to manage our weaknesses, because my weaknesses someone else’s strength.
Traci Scherck: So that’s something that’s really important and, quite honestly, it, let us into our fourth point right, so our third point is understand who I am.
Traci Scherck: And then the fourth point is to understand every single member on my team is because, if I know their strength and their superpower guess what.
Traci Scherck: I can always count on the hat when it’s not necessarily mind, and this is where that collaboration comes into play, this is where you know kind of that that magic synergy comes into play when we start looking at those.
Traci Scherck: So we understand who’s on the team and.
Traci Scherck: Specifically, how we’re going to execute the strategy utilizing everyone’s strengths now does that mean we don’t have to be self aware and sometimes do things we don’t want to do absolutely not we definitely have to do that.
Traci Scherck: We have to be aware of how we’re showing up in the report that has how we’re showing up in our energy how we’re specifically showing up in.
Traci Scherck: The results that we’re producing all those things, but as that team, especially when we’re holding each other accountable to that we’re going to get the rise together.
Traci Scherck: And that’s right and then one of the last things we look at what self managing teams is.
Traci Scherck: It has what role and so there’s a methodology, called the raspy method and i’m going to kind of run through what the rest of it is.
Traci Scherck: But one thing that’s really important with this recipe method is that you don’t always have to have that specific same role but what’s important is.
Traci Scherck: Especially when you’re in a self managing teams, at some point the buck stops with somebody, we need to know who is responsible for certain things.
Traci Scherck: Who is accountable for certain things, who needs to be consulted at times to provide input into that and then who do we need to inform.
Traci Scherck: Who do we specifically need to inform and let know what’s happening, and so, when we have self managing teams, a lot of times we’re informing someone at that senior management level.
Traci Scherck: Because the project that we’re working on with inner self contained team has a business impacted the other teams are are waiting on those results, so we may need to inform someone outside of the team.
Traci Scherck: Whereas inside the team, we have the things that we’re absolutely responsible for.
Traci Scherck: And that’s the person that’s actually doing the work right and a lot of times there are several people that have responsibilities within the project.
Traci Scherck: And then we have who’s accountable for it typically This is one person there’s one person accountable to make sure we hit the deadline and guess what we typically want that person.
Traci Scherck: To be pretty detailed oriented, we need that person to ensure that they can drive us towards that result that they’re.
Traci Scherck: You know that we can make sure that that thing is done on time with the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed right, and then we need to know hey, we need a consultant.
Traci Scherck: So there’s times, where we may need to consult someone internally inside of our team or there’s times, where we may need to consult other teams and say hey, this is what we’re working on.
Traci Scherck: Is there certain things that you see from where you sit that we’re not seeing because it’s you know we’re not looking for it.
Traci Scherck: So those are the four areas to get responsible there’s several people that are typically responsible.
Traci Scherck: accountable there’s one person that’s accountable to get the thing done.
Traci Scherck: It doesn’t mean you’re doing it, but they’re accountable to make sure it gets done.
Traci Scherck: We have the folks that are consulted and there can be several different individuals that are consulted in several different departments so, for example, you may need to consult somewhere in accounting or someone in engineering.
Traci Scherck: or someone specifically in sales as you’re developing these key items and then who needs to be informed.
Traci Scherck: Of the progress so as we look at creating self managing teams and, as you say hey to be already how self managing teams inside of our organization.
Traci Scherck: And you know there’s a couple key things you really want to be aware of, and that is, you know, defining what a self managing team is.
Traci Scherck: Ensuring that you know the why you’re doing it.
Traci Scherck: That you know what the result is that you’re leading towards that that that you’re designing the team or purpose So what is it what are we executing on who’s on the team, and how are they going to play together.
Traci Scherck: And then, as we get to very specific projects that are being done who’s responsible for what needs to be informed, who needs to be consulted and who’s ultimately accountable so with that.
Traci Scherck: will close this podcast as we close all of our podcasts right what is one key actionable takeaways for executives listening and not to take away today is.
Traci Scherck: Do you have self managing teams inside of your organization.
Traci Scherck: And so often I find when i’m consulting with employers that they absolutely do but they’re not necessarily aware of it, or they want to.
Traci Scherck: But they haven’t said that process in place so that key takeaway is make sure you’re designing your teams intentionally.
Traci Scherck: And then that key takeaway for human resources is be creative in what you’re working at and how you are elevating your goal to really get that business result remember.
Traci Scherck: You need to have a strong people strategy and send your organization, because that people strategy really is the bridge between the business strategy and your business results.
Traci Scherck: And that that people strategy is all about designing how you are ensuring your people are in the right seats.
Traci Scherck: On the right bus heading in the right direction, so if you have any questions on this or you’re curious, you can help you discover these things.
Traci Scherck: And if you haven’t taken the behavioral assessment, we do have that linked in the show notes, so thank you so much for joining us for another episode of child optimization have a great rest of your day.