Organizations combine teams for many reasons: Reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, divestments, workforce consolidation, or simple streamlining. Regardless of the reason, leaders should give careful thought to how this is best done to ensure that any reduction in performance or retention is minimized and temporary.
Too often, I’ve witnessed teams be combined – often through an acquisition – such that almost every indicator of team effectiveness and performance is negatively affected. In some cases, team integrations were so poorly mismanaged that the negative effects could be felt for years afterwards. And in all honesty, there is no good reason for it other than the leader’s lack of ability and/or motivation to do it properly.
Some leaders believe that when they put two or more teams together, it will all sort itself out in time. It rarely does. In fact, it typically gets worse – not better. When combining teams, leaders are best to think of it as starting a new team. This means starting from the beginning by discussing team Context (shared assumptions about the team’s operating environment) and Mission (the team’s purpose and goals).
It also means that at some point, a leader may have to make difficult talent decisions if there is duplication within the newly combined team, the new team Mission dictates a different mix or amount of talent, or the budget doesn’t allow for an expanded headcount long term.
In the end, leaders need to be purposeful in how they combine teams. Actively managing team integration and making decisions in a timely and thoughtful way means helping the team develop a shared perspective, gain consensus on the team’s purpose, goals, and plans, clarifying team member’s new roles, establishing/refreshing rules for working together and putting mechanisms in place to track progress on goals and commitments. By doing these things, leaders significantly increase their chances of achieving success more quickly.
If you’re combining teams, understanding the Team Quotient or TQ can be very helpful. Email us with “TQ” in the subject line for a copy of the whitepaper TQ: The Elusive Factor Behind Successful Teams (Curphy, G. & Nilsen, D).
We’re on a mission to help leaders create great teams that get great results. Want to learn more about high performing teams?
🔔 Follow Wayne Ormond for more great information, insights, & materials on high-performing teams.
✍ Comment below with your experience or perspective on combining teams.
♻ Repost this if you feel someone in your network might find this helpful.
Comentarios