By Edwin Ebreo
Let me answer that question directly.
It can help you get more return in your other investments
When management teams are not encumbered by bad politics, managers are able to unite towards decisions and implementations. Issues about certain decisions are threshed out early and addressed. Each manager communicates the needed changes to his department with clarity and people carry out their tasks because they are not slowed down by ambiguity. This means smoother implementation of change and faster acceptance of new technologies and way doing things.
It saves your company money.
When managers are able to break down silos, they are able to address interdepartmental issues more quickly and are able to prevent problems from lingering and recurring. Resources are used more optimally to pursue organizational goals rather than waste away on activities that do not contribute.
It improves morale
More often than not, interpersonal conflicts between managers trickle down to their respective staffs thereby creating a “them vs us mindset.” When this happens, people are quick to jump to conclusion and put blame on their usual suspects. This do not happen in companies where management team members are able to address interpersonal issues at their level. In cohesive management teams, rules of engagement are clear and adhered to. The individuals are accountable for their own behavior hence, a problem like this is nipped in the bud before it spreads through out the organization. When people are able effectively use some mechanisms for conflict resolution, they become more confident about the team’s ability to move forward and upward.
It makes other team building interventions much more effective
Some companies tend to address team issues at departmental level but not at management committee level. I believe it is difficult to build teamwork at the lower rungs of the organization when the management team is unable to model it. I propose that managers build teamwork first and demonstrate how it works with the rest of the organization. This is an important first step in encouraging the rest of the organization to work as a team.
Bad team politics is costly. Think about lost time, poor implementation, wastage and morale issues. They impact on people’s productivity and the company’s profitability. There is so much to gain from addressing the need of your management team members to work better together. If you experience any of these, isn’t it about time you make some improvements in the way your management team work together?
Patrick Lencioni, in his book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” said that most teams are hindered by absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. If we can break down team effectiveness barriers by building trust, putting in place an effective conflict management mechanism, establish some rules of engagement, strengthen commitment to goals and strategies, make people more accountable for actions and performance, and finally have them focus on delivering desired results, we can have a management team that works effectively for the cause of the organization and are able to use whatever management resources are there optimally.
If you wish to explore the possibility of strengthening teamwork among your managers, call us and we’ll be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss how we can get started.
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