HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RESEARCH:
In today's business environment, there is often little time for delay in making and implementing decisions. In many organizations, teams are empowered to make critical decisions at the point of need, giving the people closest to a problem the freedom to act. This helps explain why teams have become so prevalent. We found that a majority of participants (74%) said their organizations are highly reliant on teams to get work done.
Since most organizations rely heavily on teams, we can expect employee roles and effort to reflect that reliance. As organizations become less hierarchical and the pace of change increases, more and more industries are adopting technology's proven methods. In a tenth of organizations, employees spend nearly all their time working in teams.
The top challenges are accountability, difficulty making decisions, and lack of participation. Accountability is driven by organization culture, but team leadership is also a determining factor. If a leader skillfully helps the team set its own targets and agenda rather than imposing them, team members are more likely to take ownership and hold themselves accountable. Difficulty in reaching decisions is a sign that an intervention may be needed. Decision-making is a trainable individual and team skill, but it also requires supportive team dynamics. It might be a sign that the team is not focused on its mission. An executive team that spends an hour discussing the design of the meeting room table probably needs outside help.
Participation is a byproduct of purpose and accountability and a reflection of organizational culture. Teams with a common purpose and the proper training and leadership will hold themselves accountable and deal with lack of participation.
To learn more about The State of Employee Teams in 2018 and to get 10 key takeaway from the survey and research, please read the report here:
