Creating the team of the future
The story of any successful organization is a story about teams. For any complex task to be performed people need to work together, forming either official or unofficial teams. The modern organization is no different. In fact, today we rely more heavily on teams being able to work seamlessly together than ever before.
When I took on this role at NTT Security a key focus of mine was creating an executive team who would take responsibility for executing our organizational strategy.
I’m not someone who likes to micromanage. If you build the right teams with clear lines of accountability then your teams are focused on the desired outcome, not on keeping their manager happy.
The one thing that no one could have foreseen this time last year was the impact of COVID-19 and specifically how it could completely reshape team dynamics. Most companies have fairly standard strategies for building teams, keeping them focused on a common goal and introducing new team members. This typically involves getting everyone in the room together and letting them bond, finding common areas, and working out how they’re going to collaborate.
The world of work – reshaped
In an instant, however, this was no longer possible. Instead of using in-person workshops to cement team culture, we were having to do it all over videoconference. What we saw was not only that people went above and beyond to ensure their teams continued to deliver, but that they pushed past their core focus and looked for a way to improve the way we do business.
An open-door policy is relatively standard, but when you are working remotely having a virtual open door is more complex. It remains a vital tool in creating consistent team culture. Doing this takes additional effort, as not all people are comfortable with reaching out. What I found is that people were enthusiastic in suggesting ways to improve the way we do business, but it required additional effort from my side, trying to understand the detail behind the suggestion and where they were coming from. This allowed me to gain greater insight into the rest of the organization and where we could improve our processes.
This is a lesson for all team leaders, as you don’t always know where great ideas are going to come from. If we want to build strong teams we need to give all ideas the consideration they deserve.
Never be the same again
Looking forward, it’s clear that the ways that teams work together will never be the same. We’re seeing a lot of enthusiasm for our teams to get back into their offices. A survey of our global employees indicated that 87% of our people want to return to the office, with 55% wanting to spend more than half their time in the office. This shows that teams want to work together in person but still want greater flexibility in their work environment. This is going to result in teams having to, once again, find a new way to work together; one that embraces the hybrid workplace.
Personally, I’m looking forward to meeting with our teams in different countries, in person, to gain a deeper understanding of what matters to the individual teams and how to enable them to achieve their goals. I’m also excited to see what the impact of the next generation of employees will be. When kids who grow up working virtually, like my daughter, enter the workforce, how will they change the face of teamwork?