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Is it possible to do more with less? Can a better service or product be created with fewer people? Can you downsize an organisation and improve your performance?

Logically, this seems like a silly question. How can three do the work of five?

There is a simple solution, not easy just simple. Create high performing, ego-less, self organizing teams.

A good team of three can easily do the work of five or even ten individuals. Our society singles out individuals for recognition and calls working groups, teams. A team is an unusual entity and a very productive one.

Jon Katzenbach’s definition is a good one for a high performing team.

Small number of people, say around twelve.

Complementary skills, avoiding overlapping.

Committed to a common purpose that is spoken about often.

Goals that need high performance to be achieved.

A common approach or way of doing things.

Mutual accountability.

A bonus would be that people enjoy working together.

A working group has a defined leader, individual accountability and the purpose of the group is the same as the organisation’s purpose. Calling a group a team doesn’t make them one. There is hard work to be done with long term benefits for those willing to do the work.

Here are the steps to creating a high performing team:

1. Establish high performance standards or a sense of urgency.
2. Select members by skill or potential to learn the required skills.
3. Select members who have the emotional intelligence to work with others.
4. Select members who are free of large egos. They want to serve not promote themselves.
5. With the group’s help, establish rules of behaviour and a process for making decisions.
6. Establish high performance goals and tasks.
7. Push the team to get started at a brisk pace.
8. Encourage and recognise progress.

Depending on the progress and maturity of the team, you will need to decide how self organising and autonomous they can be. Experiment with giving them more authority and see how they respond. You will also need to decide whether you are part of the team or the coach/manager of the team. Train them and trust them. You could start with a project that needs doing and hand it over to the team to assist them in their development. Ask them to come up with a solution or recommendation for a project that may not have dire consequences if it fails. You may accept or ignore the recommendation but either way, you will know how well they operate as a team.

Finally, encourage the team to see leadership as a mantle that is shared and not worn by one person. It is surprising how quickly some people develop when asked to share the leadership role. Of course, some will not respond to stepping up. Most will if given support and training.

You have nothing to lose by developing strong teams. Individuals can leave with their knowledge and skills. Teams pass on their knowledge.

It is possible to do more with less. If you are reluctant to hand over any authority to teams, maybe you are the problem. Maybe you are keeping people at a level of mediocrity. I was recently working with a group and asked a question. One person answered angrily ‘we aren’t paid to think here!’ This is less than mediocre.

The best unit of productivity available to management in an organisation is not the individual. It is a high performing team.

Paddy Spruce

www.paddyspruce.com.au