How can you use self-managed teams to improve productivity?

Self-managed teams are a crucial component of the future of business, as they transform an Organization from traditional methods of monitoring to self driven teams. In order for an organization to thrive, it is essential to recognize that the placement of the right individuals in the right roles is paramount. Engaging in regular communication with top leadership fosters motivation and a sense of ownership among team members. When team members feel a strong sense of ownership, they are more likely to be proactive, committed, and accountable for their actions and outcomes. This can lead to improved productivity, as team members take personal pride in their work and strive for excellence.

In spite of the fact that it's very logical to define scope , objectives and directions but most of the time it ends as kind of very theoretical frameworks and no one really use it as guidelines

Self-managed teams: where employees become the CEOs of their own work realms, balancing power and accountability like a tightrope act. Define the team's North Star: the goals, objectives, and deliverables that guide their journey. Let their performance be measured and rewarded. Achieving success in self-management requires thoughtful design, support, and evaluation.

Self-managed teams offer a powerful framework for organizations to unleash the true potential of their workforce to drive productivity and propel success. By empowering employees with autonomy, promoting effective communication and collaboration, fostering agility, facilitating continuous learning, and instilling a results-oriented focus, self-managed teams become a catalyst for enhanced productivity. As businesses embrace this innovative approach, they embark on a journey of transforming their work culture and reaping the benefits of a motivated, engaged, and high-performing workforce.

In a self-managed team, communication must be clear and transparent. Leaders and agents should feel comfortable sharing thoughts & opinions and trust that they will be heard and helped. Each member of the self-managed team is committed to the role they occupy and gives the best of themselves. The mission and results of a self-managed team is collective, not individual. Each employee maintains a constant search for more efficient and agile ways to do the work and optimize the goals to be achieved. Experiencing freedom in their tasks, allows for creativity to find innovative tools and methodologies. Need: Good decision-makers, communicators, solid time managers, self-taught learners, and accountability. Return: High Productivity.

Group coaching and Peer mentoring are great tools to help self managed work groups.as rightly shared the training inputs are vital too If it is a multigenerational team then select one of the younger more tech savvy one to do reverse mentoring on demand

I have been the hiring manager at a few of my past brands and wanted to share some tips: - Look for individuals who possess the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes that align with self-management principles. - Today more than ever screen applicants for technical expertise, effective communication, initiative, self-discipline, and teamwork - At the end of the day we are all just humans learning daily. Providing thorough training on the team's purpose, scope, and tools is essential for developing their confidence - Without the feeling that the tide is raising all boats a teams morale can take a huge hit! Investing in their growth sets the stage for a high-performing self-managed team.

From my perspective self managed teams need to clearly understand their boundaries, the business objectives, how they are being measured as a team not individually, and where they can't reach out for help. Most importantly they must feel that they are trusted to accomplish their assignments.

A different way to term this might be the team charter. You set out the following: ?? How the team will work including things like what the values and beliefs are ?? The team goals and objectives ?? Team members responsibilities ?? Who the main stakeholders are ?? What stakeholders can expect from the team ?? What success looks like for the team It's then essential for all the team to sign up to the team charter

In my experience, Trust plays a big role in making any team successful, but more so in case of self-managed teams. After initial excitement dies down, and as the tasks become tough or challenging, individuals start losing interest. There has to be enough trust vested in one another to stay on course and not let deviations or disruptions or small setbacks derail the team's performance.

Here are some thoughts : 1. Foster a Culture of Open Communication: Create a safe space. 2. Hold Team Meetings and Discussions: to facilitate conversations about team dynamics, expectations, and behaviors. 3. Define Team Purpose and Values: provide a guiding framework for establishing norms that align with the team's objectives. 4. Identify Desired Behaviors: that have been effective and what new behaviors can be adopted 5. Prioritize Collaboration and Autonomy: such as regular knowledge sharing, cross-functional support, and collective decision-making and ownership. 6. Establish Guidelines for Conflict Resolution: 7. Document and Communicate the Norms:

I have seen the absence of clear team norms and rules and it can truly spell disaster for a self-managed team. Without these guiding principles, there is a higher chance of miscommunication, coordination breakdowns, and unresolved conflicts. The lack of team involvement in creating and agreeing upon these norms and rules can result in a lack of commitment and accountability. Honestly without strong team norms and rules, a self-managed team is hard to sustain and sadly will usually fall apart.

Working norms are critical for having an effective team, and can & should encompass all aspects of the work. Have open conversations with your team about norms around communication, emailing, collaboration, meeting styles, all the things! Document them and share them with everyone so everyone is on the same page. Then revisit them regularly to check in and validate that the norms are working and still are relevant. These should be fluid and flexible, and should be adjusted when something isn't sticking or working for people; but we don't know that if we don't talk about them.

Even though self-managed teams operate with a high degree of autonomy, the role of leadership is not rendered obsolete. They have to transform into coaches or facilitators, rather than traditional authoritarian figures. Their job is to guide the teams by helping to remove obstacles, providing resources, and creating an environment where the team can thrive. Also, a big challenge in a self-managed team is the risk of conflicts or disagreements escalating due to the lack of a traditional hierarchy. Leaders can play a critical role here by helping the team build new conflict resolution patterns.

I have witnessed firsthand neglecting the crucial step of monitoring and evaluating a self-managed team. In a particular case, the brand I was leading experienced a devastating setback due to the resistance to implementing tracking mechanisms for team wins versus losses and feedback. This decision proved costly as it hindered our growth. Looking back, it's clear that the absence of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms contributed significantly to the brand diminishing. It became evident that without regular meetings and assessment with stakeholders the team was not working as one nor accomplishing projects with the care they deserved.

Self managed teams work but like any team, there must be an accountability feature. Self-managed does not necessarily mean self-directed. Like any team, there needs to be feedback and vetting process.

We gotta ask ourselves: Are we really ready to ditch the old-school management? Or are we just hopping on the latest trend? Saying we'll switch to self-managed teams and then doing the complete opposite can mess things up more than if we just stick with what we've got.

I think that self managed teams can be great in the right industry and setting but the trend of pushing most team oriented work towards this style of management is concerning. I simply look at this as not all employees want to be managers and that can include themselves so this can lead to lots of problems down the road as brands scramble to resume traditional management for the teams that this does not work for or have a high turnover. This is coming from someone who has worked self managed for a decade now managing teams nationwide, I've just seen its not for everyone.

Perhaps I’m too old-school to dig in such practice without carefully take in consideration the inherent requirements. To me, the idea of self-management can not exist without self-discipline and a profound commitment with the accomplishment of the vision and the mission of the organization, and team objectives, limits, and boundaries as well. It also requires a strong commitment with quality and continuous learning. Therefore, a self-managed team is a very delicate working structure which does not fit in any organization nor any culture.