Teams Change… Constantly!

Last year it was all about the talent war and difficulty getting new people into expanding teams. So far 2023 is telling a story of layoffs and staff reductions - or hesitation to add headcount. Either way it affects a company’s current team - adding people or reducing or not replacing staff.

Any team, Customer Service, Sales, Production, will go through a predictable pattern to reach peak performance:

1. Form - Behaviors are aimed at attempting to redefine the work and decide how it will be accomplished.
2. Storm - Includes feelings of frustration because some members may want to do the work “their” way.
3. Norm - Behaviors may include more of an attempt to achieve harmony and avoid conflict; more friendliness and sharing of personal and professional issues; establishing and maintaining ground rules (the norms).
4. Perform - The team has settled its relationships and expectations and is now effective and can move quickly through the work!

Mature teams that have been together for years are most likely at the “Perform” stage, so it is important to remember that any introduction of a new or reduction of a team member sets the whole team back to the “Form” stage. New dynamics need to be established, people need to get to know the communication style of any new members, or perhaps learn different ways to communicate due to someone leaving a hole in the team.

Leaders should keep this change dynamic in mind during any disruption of the status quo - again, adding a new team member or reducing staff / not replacing team members. There are a few key areas to focus on as a leader to help the team through the 4 phases:

• Clarity of Shared Vision. High-performing teams are built on the foundation of clarity. Don’t assume that reading the company mission statement provides a crystal clear vision and expectations for a new employee. And during a layoff - gather your team together and revisit what the mission / goal is for the team.
• Defined Roles and Responsibilities. Maybe a staff reduction is shifting work to people who are less familiar with it. Take the time to not only outline the expectations, but also have a clear understanding of metrics and what training will be provided to get someone up to speed on anything new.
• Clear and Respectful Communication. Adding a new employee? As a leader, perhaps review with the current team how best to bring the person into the group. Outline the strengths of the new team member and make sure the existing team recognizes their value - sometimes people feel a “newbie” is going to be a burden!
• Continuous learning and improvement. New team members can bring fresh ideas into a team. Losing a team member can result in re-configuring tasks. Both provide opportunities for the whole team to learn and find ways to leverage strengths and improve the quality of work.

Where is your team now? Performing to their full potential? Are you going to be adding people or reducing staff? The time to prepare is now and have a plan around how you will address the change your team will experience.?

About me: Accomplished and performance-driven professional with hands-on experience formulating, implementing, and directing effective training programs to achieve targets with keen focus on advancing corporate mission and vision. Passionate leader with notable experience in customer service, inside sales, and training and development.