The subject of self-directed teams is high on the agenda of many organizations. However, implementing this in practice often proves more difficult than thought. A poor implementation can cause resistance, frustration and can even push people out of the organization. It seems like an ideal model, but the right formula for your organization is crucial. A self-managing team is not a self-running machine, which is often still expected. But in practice, how do you ensure that a self-managing team will run well?
What is a self-managing team?
Let's start at the beginning. A self-managing team, in our view, is a team in which leadership is distributed. All members in a self-directed team are equal and share the work together. What needs to be done and who does what? The fact that the team determines this together and picks up the work together does not mean that there is no leadership. There is certainly leadership in a self-directed team, but in a different form. Everyone is in the lead over a certain part. For example, one is in charge of the marketing piece, the other of the customers. Who picks up which part is mainly based on talents and qualities. Who is good at what and who can fulfill which role as well as possible?
Moving away from the hierarchy
The reason the topic of self-directed teams is so high on the agenda is that organizations increasingly want to move away from the hierarchical division of the organization. Becoming an agile organization is a dream for many. Working less from a top-down approach with bosses and directors directing managers and managers directing employees. Much more in a network of (self-managing) teams. That way the decision-making power is lower down in the organization and you can respond faster to innovations. Do you have a good idea? Then it can be implemented a lot faster and you grow faster as a team and as an organization. In addition, by working in self-directed teams, you give employees more responsibility and ownership so they experience more recognition and ultimately are more motivated and work more productively.
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Self-directed teams in practice
Although working with self-directed teams may sound all rosy, it is certainly not always the case. Working in a self-directed team is really not a magic solution in practice and certainly does not suit everyone. Whether working in self-directed teams is successful in practice often depends mainly on the organization and the culture. There are several conditions attached to this way of working. For example, practice shows that it often works better when there is a coach within the team. Someone with a certain distance who monitors the process and ensures that the cooperation runs smoothly. In a team you have people who understand their job very well, you really don't need to tell them what to do, but they may need help to talk about certain things. A coach can help with that. In addition, shared norms and values are very important to the success of a self-directed team. A study by Google showed that the conditions for a successful self-directed team are not different personalities but shared norms and values. For example, a team of developers has different norms and values than a sales team. For example, agree in advance how you will address each other, whether you will always come in at a specific time and how you will prepare yourself for a meeting.
Dot on the horizon
As with the team, conditions also apply to the organization when you start working in self-directed teams. If there is no higher goal towards which you are working with the entire organization, you cannot leave a self-directed team free. Make sure there is a clear dot on the horizon and that there is someone within each self-directed team who actively monitors the line to the rest of the organization. You can do this, for example, by organizing meetings. This way you and the entire team know what the organization is doing and you can sound out whether what you are doing is still actually in line with the rest of the organization.
Learning and development in self-directed teams
In practice, working in self-directed teams is an excellent opportunity for learning and development. For example, by taking on other tasks that you did not have before but seem to enjoy. You can have multiple roles. In self-managing teams in healthcare, for example, you can be a nurse, but also make sure that you know what the policy is and that your team is connected to the rest of the organization. Or you can take on certain tasks that a manager normally has. In fact, think of it as putting together your ideal position. In addition, feedback can play a good role within a self-managing team. You are no longer judged by a manager but you can choose much more in the moment who you enter into the conversation with about growth and development. This can be on the go with a mobile app, in physical conversations but also at agreed moments. For example, at Treams we organize a quarterly kick-off and wrap-up. During the kick-off, each team determines its objectives that are focused on the organizational goals. During the wrap-up we conclude the quarter and each team gets the stage to tell the rest about their successes but also their f*ckups, because you learn a lot from that too.