The book notes the difference in managing as a team facilitator as opposed to a traditional supervisor. I have experienced management in both situations. In the case of a traditional supervisor the atmosphere is much more controlled. The manager tells you what to do and how to do it and then oversees every step of the process. In a team facilitated situation it is much more open for the individuals to do what each are good at. The manager guides the team rather than tells the team. I have found that both styles can be good for different individuals. Some people need more structure but others would rather have the freedom to work on a project on their own. So in this changing structure of management and teams not only do managers need to change their style and become used to the change so do the employees.
4 comments:
I like the idea of an adaptive management style. As you point out one-size does not fit all when it comes to the organization of the work flow. Additionally, organizational function and structure also influence the division of labor. Product oriented enterprises can be divided into teams, or not, at the discretion of management, while service oriented companies are more autonomous by nature since even scripted interactions require individual delivery. Personally, I prefer a team oriented approach as long as members are equally committed. Unfortunately I have been a member of too many teams where individuals counted on others to do their share of the work, but participated fully when it came time to take credit.
I just blogged about this topic as well. I agree that both styles, controlled versus facilitated, are good for different kinds of people. However, I think that the facilitated style encourages more learning, decision making, and overall involvement from individuals. In this way, the team approach is much more beneficial for employees because there will be more opportunity for development. Team structures calso produce more creativity and ideas. It is important that both managers and individuals learn to adapt to the changing styles of management. I think the facilitator approach will be more beneficial to organizations as well because it does encourage more participation.
Your comment makes me reflect on my former managers’ styles. Having had the opportunity to work with individuals who act as managers and with those who simply guide the team, I have to agree with you that there is a noticeable difference between both.
Without mentioning names, on the one hand I will talk about a manager who acted purely as an investigator. He used to check what I was doing every hour: and then Angie…are you done yet? I am not the type who operates under this kind of pressure. Somehow my level of concentration decreases and my creativity goes below zero. On the other hand, the individual was also a manager, but who used to guide me or provide opinion only when I requested, seems to be the ideal manager to me. When someone trusts that I will deliver great results, it motivates me to do the best I can do. And usually I am proud of the outcome of my efforts.
So that the relationship managers and teams work, it is critical that both parts realize what works best and put that in practice for the sake of having successful business relationships.
You make a good point about employees needing to adapt to a team-based organization. But even more than adapting, employees must be trained. Without the skills needed to work in teams, the team experience likely will be poor and employees will decide that team don't work. This happens in university classes as well and it's the reason I seldom require team projects (except when I'm teaching small group communication). Most students have received little if any formal training in team and small group communication. Then they're thrown into small groups for a class project. One or two groups do well, but the others sort of stumble along. The final product isn't that great. And they leave disliking, or even hating, working in small groups. Training is essential for all members of team-based organizations.
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