16 Jul How Well Is Your Team Functioning?
I initially thought of a different title for this blog: Is everyone pulling their own weight? Face it — every division in every agency consists of teams. The teams may consist of two staff members or many more. So, the bottom line is that teams are very much the backbone of the agency. How well they function will heavily determine whether their objectives become reality.
Here are some key elements of teams that will determine their success or, if not achieved, their downfall:
- Each worker should be responsible for their workload and the documents they need to complete work.
- For team members to thrive, they must be honest about what works and what does not.
- They work best when united behind one cause and have an eye for the same concept.
- They know where they want to be and have a plan for how to get there.
- There is a solid level of appreciation for one another, mutual respect, and trust.
- All team members feel valued – this creates a positive environment where people feel compelled to perform at their best.
So, using these attributes, how well is your team functioning? Do all team members know they are dependent on each other to achieve the success and expectations that are key to the overall agency?
In my 12 years working with many of the finest agencies in the country (I sincerely mean that), I have seen when the teams are operating at their peak. They are humming along. But I have also seen (or been advised) when the team is not at its peak, and in most scenarios, it is because one team member is not meeting the necessary expectations. Often, the issue seems to involve timeliness – where a team member is holding up the ”assembly line” by not processing or executing their part of the process in the desired timeframe. This issue could be causing a delay in many areas, which could appear in the audit results. When audit results are known, management is openly encouraged to dissect and analyze them to determine why they fell short of the expected compliance level.
How should these issues be resolved? Through communication among the team. Team members should be encouraged to express themselves openly. It is okay for team members to ask questions, bring up concerns, disagree, and be more creative in solving problems.
If your team is humming along, this increases the chance that good division results will happen. Consider some celebration to recognize the team’s efforts. When your “engine is not firing on all cylinders,” your team sputters. Look to improve the efficiency and productivity of your team by understanding why and putting corrective action in place. It may be just a simple action necessary to be one of the agency’s top teams.