Magic of Self-Managing Teams
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The Magic of Self-Managing Teams - How To Make It Work
By Shameem Farooqui?
1st August 2022
What Are Self-Managing Teams?
Self-managing teams are autonomous (or self-directed) workgroups that are largely responsible for their own work processes, delivery timelines, productivity, and performance metrics. Adopting self-managing teams typically requires a significant culture shift from a traditional top-down management style. Typically, self-managed teams have all the resources they need to get the job done, including a well-defined scope of work, access to the right tools, and an appropriate level of autonomy — and yet, they still have a degree of oversight from management. These teams generally still have a manager, but that manager doesn't actually do the work. Instead, that manager is responsible for overseeing the team and providing resources and guidance as needed.
Why Are Self-Managing Teams Effective?
In general, self-managed teams tend to be more motivated, engaged, and creative than other types of workgroups. This is likely because members have more freedom over how they do their jobs. When employees have more autonomy over their day-to-day work, they tend to be more engaged, more creative, and more productive than if they're micromanaged all day. This is partially because people who are given more freedom tend to take more ownership over their work. So, if something goes wrong, they feel more invested in fixing it. Plus, they tend to have a greater sense of pride and ownership over their work.
When Should You Use Self-Managing Teams?
Self-managed teams are a good option for almost any type of business function, but they're particularly well-suited for knowledge work. These include tasks like software development, data analytics, marketing, HR, product design and development, legal, sales, and certain business functions. They're also useful when you have highly skilled specialists who want more autonomy. That said, if you're introducing self-managed teams, you'll need to spend significant time and effort training employees on how to manage themselves and collaborate effectively with others. Managers should be prepared to guide their teams through this process and help them develop the skills they need to excel at self-management.
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How to Make Self-Managing Teams Work?
You can make self-managing teams work by preparing your organization for the transition. Assess your team members' skill sets and personalities and make sure they're a good fit for self-management. If your team members are ready for the transition to self-management, make sure you have the resources and tools they need to be successful. This includes having clear expectations and goals related to deliverables, procedures for solving problems, and access to the right technology or other tools. You also need to be prepared to step back and let your team members own the work. It can be tempting to micromanage when you're used to being involved in everything, but you need to resist that urge. Instead, focus on providing resources and guidance when your team members need them.
The Challenges of Self-Managing Teams
Successfully implementing self-managed teams takes a significant investment in time and effort to get your employees prepared for the transition. This is not a quick fix that you can implement in a few weeks. You might even need to re-organize your company to make room for self-managed teams. Additionally, self-managed teams can create more uncertainty in the organization if team members don't complete work on time or according to expectations. So, teams need to be equipped to solve problems and deliver results on their own. Finally, self-managed teams need to be managed. While they should have a high degree of autonomy, they should still be accountable for meeting their deliverables and performance metrics.
Bottom line
Self-managed teams are an effective organizational structure when organizations are ready for a culture shift toward more trust and autonomy. But these teams don't just happen. They require significant investment and effort on the part of managers to prepare their teams for self-management. And just because this new organizational structure may sound appealing, that doesn't mean it's right for your business. You'll need to make sure your team members are ready, have the resources they need to succeed, and be prepared to step back and let them own the work.
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