Self-managing teams are an innovative approach to organizational management that is increasingly gaining traction in modern businesses. These teams represent a shift from the traditional hierarchical management structure and empower employees to take responsibility, make decisions and manage their own work to a high degree.
Self-managing teams have long since proven their worth. They've been shown to increase productivity, boost employee satisfaction and foster innovation. However, as with any organizational change, there are challenges and considerations that need to be addressed before simply attempting to implement self-managing teams.
Read about: developing leadership teams.
In this blog post, we'll dive into what exactly self-managing teams are and why they've become so popular... But most importantly, we'll share valuable tips and strategies on how you can - successfully - implement self-managing teams in your organization.
Also read how we helped Acies succeed with self-managing teams: How software company uses clear communication to become purpose-driven
What are self-managing teams?
Self-managing teams, also known as autonomous teams, are an organizational model that breaks away from the traditional top-down hierarchy. Instead of having a single manager making all decisions and managing work processes, self-managing teams break the hierarchical mindset and give employees more autonomy and responsibility for their work and decision-making.
Try reading about coaching
The foundation of self-managing teams is built on these five basic principles and values:
- Self-management: Members of self-managing teams have a high degree of control over their work. They are able to make decisions about how they perform their tasks and are responsible for planning and organizing their work.
- Accountability: Self-managing teams are responsible for achieving their goals and delivering results. This includes monitoring their own performance, identifying problems and finding solutions.
- Collaboration: Although each employee in a self-managing team has individual accountability, collaboration is still essential. Team members must work together, share knowledge and support each other to achieve common goals.
- Continuous improvement: Self-leading teams should strive for constant learning and improvement. They regularly evaluate their work processes and results to identify areas where they can optimize their performance.
- Openness and trust: There must be an open communication culture based on psychological safety in self-managing teams. Members should be able to express their thoughts and ideas freely, and there should be trust that everyone is contributing constructively to the team's success.
Read more: Create a culture of psychological safety
It's important to emphasize that while self-managing teams may seem like an appealing approach, it's not a "one-size-fits-all" solution, but rather an adaptable model that can be adapted to the needs and cultures of different organizations.
So before you start implementing self-managing teams in your business, it's important that you consider whether that kind of leadership is right for your business.
Read about: strategic management
One thing you will typically lack when transitioning to a self-managing team is a common direction for the management of the team. However, it can be ensured with the help of various structures.
8 steps to developing self-managing teams
Before an organization embarks on the implementation of self-managing teams, it's crucial to take some necessary steps to prepare for this transformation. Implementing self-managing teams often involves major changes to the management structure, culture and communication within the organization.
Here are some key steps in the preparation phase:
- Evaluating existing structures: The organization should carefully assess its existing management structures and processes to identify areas that need to be adapted or changed to accommodate self-managing teams. This could include a review of the hierarchy, decision-making processes, roles and responsibilities.
- Clear communication: It's important to build clarity around the purpose of introducing self-managing teams among employees. Employees need to understand why this change is happening and how it can affect them and the organization as a whole.
- Culture change: Self-managing teams require an organizational culture that promotes trust, collaboration and accountability. Therefore, cultural change may be necessary to create the right environment for self-managing teams.
- Identifying suitable teams: The organization needs to consider which teams or projects are suitable for self-management. This can depend on factors such as the complexity of the tasks, the skills of the team members and the need for innovation.
Once you feel your organization is prepared for the change, it's time to move on to implementation. Here are some tips and tricks to help you successfully implement self-managing teams:
- Team selection: Choose the teams to be transformed into self-managing teams very carefully. Consider the skills, experience and personalities of the team members, among other things, to ensure that the team dynamics and competencies fit with the concept. It's also important to take into account the team's past performance and potential.
- Define goals and roles: Define clear goals for each self-managing team and the roles needed to achieve those goals. During this process, you'll need to establish responsibilities and decision-making authority for each team member.
- Decision-making processes: Build a framework for decision-making in self-managing teams. For example, determine which decisions can be made by the team as a whole and which require approval from the organization's leadership.
In this webinar, we'll tell you more about how different decision-making processes can be used: Strengthen collaboration in distributed teams - Clear framework for autonomy: Self-managing teams need clear guidelines on how much autonomy they have to make decisions and manage their work. Therefore, there needs to be a clear definition of boundaries and guidelines for the team's activities.
The transition to self-managing teams can be challenging and sometimes difficult, but with the right preparation and support, your organization can make the big change.
Read more: Create a culture of learning through coaching and curiosity
The new role of the manager around self-managing teams
Self-managing teams are a paradigm shift in leadership, and the role of a leader changes significantly in an organization that starts to develop self-managing teams. Because even though these teams are self-managing, and therefore don't have a leader in the traditional sense, there is still a need for some kind of professional leadership to support the different teams and employees within them.
Therefore, this type of manager is faced with slightly different tasks than usual. Some of the most important things for a leader in this situation are:
- Create a framework and clarity: While self-managing teams have more autonomy, it's still the manager's responsibility to define the overall framework and clearly communicate the organization's goals and strategies. The leader should provide a clear vision of what the team needs to achieve and how their work fits into the larger goals of the organization.
- Foster trust: Trust is critical to the success of self-managing teams. The leader must build and maintain trust with team members and between team members. This means having the courage to give them responsibility and let them make decisions, while standing behind them and supporting them in their actions.
- Mentor and support: Instead of acting as a traditional leader who gives orders and makes decisions, the manager should take on the role of a mentor and facilitator. The manager should be there to support team members, offer advice and help them develop their skills and knowledge.
- Promote learning and development: Self-leading teams thrive when there is a strong culture of learning and development. Leaders should therefore encourage continuous improvement, encourage knowledge sharing and provide opportunities for training and development.
Read more: How to create learning through feedback and dialog - Remove obstacles: The manager should be aware of any obstacles that could hinder the team's success and work to remove them. This could be organizational issues, conflicts or lack of resources.
Essentially, for self-managing teams, a leader must act as a supportive and facilitating figure, helping to create the conditions that enable team members to make decisions, collaborate and succeed.
.png)