Mid-Level Managers - Aspects Of a Team
The fundamental idea behind the creation of a team is usually quality deliverance within a deadline. Team Building is the result of a good strategical planning process. A team should be created with proper strategic planning in order to be able to achieve certain specific goals and targets.
Team Planning
Team planning is one of the crucial steps of team building and involves the initial assessment of a team, its objectives and the team members before its creation. Without adequate team planning, even talented and good performers can’t be put together in a team and expected to perform in a collective and mutually supportive manner.
Team Assessment
Team assessment refers to the task of analysing a team’s performance, identifying the advantages and drawbacks of each team member and how these members contribute to the collective team effort after they have been put together. It also gives an insight of an individual’s contribution in a team effort.
Mission Statement
In order to set a baseline for the team members, mid-level managers should establish a specific mission statement of mid-managerial department or area of work. The mission of any team helps in identifying and conceptualizing the common purpose that binds the team members together as one enterprise.
This mission statement is often shared between members of the team to make them aware of the team’s purpose and objectives. Teams operating without a mission are perceived as selfcentered, who are resistant in adopting to change with passage of time.
One Mission, Different Goals
People tend to get confused between Mission and Goal. They think both of them have the same meaning, however this is not always true especially in the case of a team. For example, every team member is given an individual goal, which they have to achieve, so that the collective team mission is accomplished.
Mission is the final objective of a team and goals are milestones in the journey to achieve the final objective. Mid-level managers should set various goals for each member of the team in order to complete a collective team mission. With properly set goals, the team should collectively move towards the completion of the mission.
The Virtue of Responsibility
Each and every team member is responsible and accountable for various tasks and duties in a team. For successful achievement of the team target, it is very important for team members to take ownership of their responsibilities.
It is also equally important that they learn to work in tandem with members from other departments in order to enhance the team and borrow their expertise. Generally, workers from other functional areas work pretty well on transactional teams.
The Significance of Tracking
Tracking the progress of various team members, as well as the whole team, within a certain time frame helps mid-level managers to access and analyse the productivity and efficiency of the team goals.
This enables the team members to know if there are any defaulters, who did not achieve the goal within the given time and what goals the team is yet to achieve. Progress reports and checkpoints should also be included within a track record.
Being Flexible
It is not necessary for a team to have a permanent team leader. The person playing this role may vary according to need of fulfilling specific targets. As mid-level managers progress through their career, a time will certainly come when they will have to inherit and undertake the responsibilities of a leader.
Because of the unpredictable and inevitable nature of change, mid-managers always consider all possibilities and make various contingency plans. They realize that being rigid with deadlines and other factors will only result in stagnation of the goal.
That is the reason, they are always open to the idea of partnering with outside entities. As this will take the team towards realizing their mission. This can only happen once the team is done with the identification of the internal planning process. As with business, it is mandatory to collaborate with your team members. Long term partnerships are formed in this way.
