4.1.1 Transitioning to the required team structure
Switching to a team environment usually requires a transitional strategy. The leader plays a critical role not just in terms of building the team, but also in its operations. Consider the steps in the following figure; the leader is identified as the team supervisor.
Overcoming resistance to the transition to teams and changes to existing processes or mean of organising work is an important role for the team leader. Resistance may be overcome utilising strategies that ensure that:
- The team feels it is its own project and not one devised and operated by outsiders.
- The team is involved in diagnostic efforts leading them to agree on what the basic problem is. Decisions are made by consensual group decision.
- Team members are able to confer, discuss and to recognise valid objections.
- The process is kept open to revision and reconsideration if experience indicates that changes would be desirable.
Figure 2 Team evolution and the role of the leader
© Clive Graham Skillworks 1992 (with permission)
In 1 above, the supervisor is more likely to protect a problem (being ultimately responsible for the work group) than to expose and resolve the problem which is possible in 4 above. This is why teams have to become more effective and contribute to the organisation's ability to deliver improvements in services or products that customers demand.
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