Integrating the Work of the Team – When the Left Hand Disagrees with the Right
By Michelle Malay Carter on January 21, 2008
Managers own the output of their team.? Hence, seamless integration of each team member’s work?need be a critical managerial leadership accountability.? Is it??
Has your manager every held you specifically accountable for integrating the work of your team?? Did you discuss this concept in your MBA program?
How Hierarchies Work?
In a managerial hierarchy,?any given?manager has work to be done as assigned by his manager.? In order to get that work done, he enlists his direct reports to do portions of his work which then input back?into the manager’s larger work goal.
What to Do with Conflicting Goals?
When Team Member A and Team Member B happen upon what appear to be conflicting work goals, what should be the proper course of action?? (Key word in the last sentence is should.)
Specifying the Rules of Engagement for Peers – A Nonexistent Practice
Team members, i.e. peers, should be accountable to make mutual accommodations in their work in light of their manager’s larger goal.? In other words, they are accountable to resolve differences as they believe their manager would have them resolve them based on the context the manager has provided them.?If this is unclear, it means that the team members do not have enough context to make an informed decision, and they should proceed to their manager to have him make the decision, in light of his greater context.? No fighting or animosity required.
The Tattle Tale Fear?
This makes perfect sense as I type it, but I ask you, how often do peers interact as competitors or contentious siblings rather than partners?? Without the clear and explicit understanding that their mutual manager is accountable for the integration of their work, peers resist going to their manager for fear of being seen as “tattle tales”.
Frequently, the manager himself, does not understand this accountability and leaves peers to “work things out” amongst themselves.? This ignorance is costly.
Nature Abhors a Vacuum – Organic Systems Emerge where Intentional Systems are Absent?
In the absence of a?managerial leadership system which codifies clear accountabilities and authorities for peers and managers, a default system of “every?team member for himself ” emerges.?
In an “every man for himself” system, peers must figure out how to get their work done in spite oftheir team member, not along with their team member.? We set up a zero sum game, i.e. my productivity must come at my team member’s expense.? We’ve created a petri dish for dysfunction, and we see resentment, sabotage, information hoarding, withdrawal, and anything but teamwork, collaboration, and cooperation.
The Solution?- Ignorance Can No Longer Be an Excuse
Once again we are back to the need for an integrated,?total-systems approach to managerial leadership which is codified and embedded into everyday policies, practices, and procedures.?
Currently, most organizations are operating at the hands of organic, default leadership systems that have emerged in?the vacuum created by ignorance of?a better way.
As of today, you may no longer use ignorance as an excuse.? Start the new year by committing to enabling productive work within your organization through systems design at the executive level and managerial leadership skill building throughout your organization.
I’m OK.? You’re OK.? Let’s fix the system.
Share Your Story
Have you ever worked in a system where your productivity was pitted against that of a peer?
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization
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[…] In my last post, I said that the manager owns the output of his team, as it is his accountability to integrate the work of the team. […]
[…] reports’ accountabilities and authorities in relations to others, we end up acting like contentious siblings having to resort to manipulation, coercion, charisma or flat our bribery.? All of this, of course, […]
[…] Integrating the Work of the Team -When the Left Hand Disagrees with the Right […]