Why are some managers capable of managing more than 10 teams simultaneously, while others have difficulty managing a single team?
The answer is that good leaders know how to distinguish which phase of transformation each team is in and what they should do in each phase.
According to the theory of Bruce TuckmanIn order to become a high-performance team, working groups go through different stages. Let's see what these stages are and how a leader should act in each one of them:
Stage 1: Training
This stage corresponds to the initial construction of the equipment and is characterised by:
High uncertainty about the purpose, structure and leadership of the group
This stage is a period of exploration, in which members wonder what is expected of them. Along with the excitement of being involved in something new, people feel insecure, anxious, and confused.
Thus each team member is evaluating the others, measuring their skills and aptitudes. People are anxious about this new situation, even though they bring their previous functional role, they must find their new entity within the team.
Leader's performance (providing structure)
- Ensure respect, attention and participation.
- Informing and guiding towards the expected results.
- Present the objectives and available resources.
Stage 2: Conflict
At this stage, all the problems and anxieties contained and overlapping during the first stage come to the surface.
A inter-group power struggle conflict, because the members accept the existence of the group, but resist the restrictions it imposes on individuals: there is conflict over who will control the team. At this stage, positions are becoming more and more differentiated, and the excess of subjectivity favours the emergence of conflicts.
There are many personal objectives, some want to gain influence in the group, because they see themselves as natural leaders, more expert or because they want to see the group adapting to their own methods. Others want to use the group to increase their own visibility and power.
There is also a new task-related conflict, due to the different approaches of each of the members to the The time to deal with it. and thus usually lead to discrepancies between them.
Leader Performance (clarify and consolidate)
- Encourage the emergence of common ground and assert the benefits of diversity.
- Structuring communication.
- Ensure analysis and decision-making by consensus.
Joan Anton Ros Guasch, Founder ETBO and Doctor in Psychology.
Article published in the journal Patrimonia-Universidad Pompeu Fabra 27/7/2021
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMm_sUiTSI0