7 tips to kick off self-organizing teams

Probably lost of questions are in your mind regarding self-organizing teams, like: How do you build them? Is any type of organization able to build them? How long does it take to turn the whole organization to an agile self-organizing setting?

Companies can scale up agile to create substantial benefits, though it is important to discuss some considerations before implementing agile teams:

• Any organization can become self-organized, but there are some teams that will have it easier than others, depending on the type of task they perform, the prevailing culture and the leaders that guide the effort.
• Not every function needs to be organized as self-organizing teams; though a “we culture” approach company-wide is desired to ease the work across groups. That means even though the structure of some of the functions may not change, every employee should start getting the “We culture” habits in terms of systems and teamwork, caring for internal and external clients, embracing empowerment and self-discipline.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Biztorming new weekly newsletter, featuring must-read content for an agile leader.
Get the Newsletter in your inbox ⇒

• Teams are usually small. Amazon has the “two-pizza team”, meaning that the team should be small enough to be fed by two pizzas, which would be six to 10 people. Google usually prefers three to six people.
• Routine operations such as purchasing and accounting are less fertile ground for the self-organizing teams, as they are used to work in silos. But still can be achieved and provide lots of benefits to increase flow, efficiency and even increase employee engagement. Zappos has applied the system company-wide, and it’s even transferring the learning to its parent company Amazon. In Operations that are complex and require continuous change, like IT have been successfully implemented, like Netflix, Spotify, Ideo, Apple. On my side, I have applied this culture in companies in industrial settings, retail, and non-profits. Hospitals and schools could also benefit.
• Agile and self-organizing teams support the ones that are not self-organized too. So, once you begin launching these teams, you can’t just leave the other parts of the business alone. Some changes may be needed, or again, at least, people should be trained on the new habits to be able to understand and serve the other groups.
• Leaders need to be aligned and in agreement with the new setting, as they are the example that everybody will follow. I usually find that the main constraints are middle leaders training and budget. Middle leaders are pivotal in this change, so they need special attention. Usually, they are evaluated on how well they control, but in a self-organizing team, command and control are to be avoided. For them at the very beginning is a big mindset change that needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
• Budget and procurement areas are a constraint because usually, they generate delays in decision making. That’s why most of these type of teams choose to manage their own budget. 
• The team needs to have clear boundaries to help unleash their power without disturbing the rest of the company. Teams can be formed based on specific projects or based on physical boundaries. In manufacturing settings, for example, we draw a map of the areas and divide each area into “lots” that each employee own. They can decide what to do with it. They can define the rules for every little thing that belongs to that specific lot; machines, floors, processes, tools.  That will help the employees “visualize their ownership” and get used to it. The truth is that people are not used to making decisions or owning parts of a plant, so you have to make it easy for them to understand.

How to choose where to start?

The cultural transformation can start in a pilot group, or with all teams at once. I firmly recommend starting with a pilot self-organizing team. Providing general training to everyone else and follow-up with monthly audits can complement a specific training to the pilot section. Once the first team has started and there are some learnings on what worked and what did not work, then you can continue with the next teams in waves.

RECOMMENDED COURSES: Agile Leadership

As per Harvard Business Review “To get started on this test-and-learn cycle, leadership teams typically employ two essential tools: a taxonomy of potential teams and a sequencing plan reflecting the company’s key priorities. Taxonomy in hand, the leadership team sets priorities and sequences initiatives. Leaders must consider multiple criteria, including strategic importance, budget limitations, availability of people, return on investment, cost of delays, risk levels, and interdependencies among teams.” The pain points felt by customers and employees should be considered among the main priorities.

Lu Paulise

luciana@biztorming.com

@lupaulise

Biztorming Training & Consulting

A little more eager to jump into The We Culture? Schedule a free call  to discuss the adoption process for your unique situation.