Effective Teams in Flexible Work Arrangements

According to a recent Forbes magazine article, most millennials and more recent generations, see the flexible workplace as a must. It is possible to lead a highly-functioning team with flexible work arrangements because there are basics for any well-functioning team. This article shares the factors essential for creating and sustaining a highly effective team.

A highly effective team reaches or exceeds their goals while also showing high levels of commitment, collaboration and innovation. They have complementary skills and are aligned with a common purpose.

These are the factors that are crucial for high performing teams:

Shared goals – Highly-effective teams require alignment around a shared purpose. Without this they will direct their energies in different directions. This causes suboptimal solutions.

Right processes – How a team does their work is important to creating a high performing team. If the processes cause problems and extra work, then superior solutions will never be achieved. Processes must align with the direction of the organization and allow the team members to effectively use their time and skills.

Proper structures & culture – Effective teams are organized to maximize performance and communication. High performing teams must have a culture of openness and trust. They must be open with each other and comfortable engaging in energetic discussions around issues and solutions. They also trust each other to complete their share of duties and support each other. Highly effective teams have a culture of valuing different perspectives, which leads to better decision-making.

Effective skills & tools – All team members require the right training and competencies to effectively complete their tasks. They also need the proper tools, equipment, and software to easily perform their jobs. However, skills and tools are not sufficient for a highly effective team. High-performing teams need that extra quality of high levels of trust and effective communication.

Visionary leadership – Leaders must give strategic direction and allow the teams to make practical, operational decisions. Leaders step in only when needed, i.e. when there’s unhelpful and unproductive behaviors or other barriers to the team achieving their goals.

Micro-managers are destructive to the team’s communication and trust. Micro-managing causes wasted time, ineffective use of resources, disengaged team members and lack of motivation.

A visionary leader monitors progress towards the long-term goals and lets the team worry about the details of getting there.

Benefits of a well-functioning team include increased productivity, improved products and services, and flexible and faster solutions.

With so many employees wanting to work with flexible arrangements, a great leader would learn how to best manage these teams to achieve excellent results.

Want coaching in being a more strategic and effective leader? Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com