Managementteams
The situation in Practice (genuine MT instead of blue print)
(for a compilation in pdf click here)
Definition of an MT
For me as a practice-based man, a management team is not about the formal structure or title, i.e. the theory. It’s about the collaborative behaviour of the members of the management team, i.e. the practice.
An ‘MT’ is more than a meeting of heads of department or a platform for information exchange. Nor is it a ‘free for all’ with large numbers of participants. In an MT, the managers have a common interest and common goals. As a team, they are mutually dependent, working under the leadership of a person with ultimate responsibility.
Mutual trust and openness characterise this form of cooperation, whereby the MT members concentrate on collective results. The MT should provide better leadership than the effect of the sum of the individual MT members. I call this a real MT, in contrast to a pseudo team which is a kind of meeting of heads of department that pretend to represent common interests.
Importance of an MT
Through my work as an organisation consultant over the last twenty-five years, I became convinced that a real ‘MT’ is a must in many organisations if they are to provide successful management. A real ‘MT’ provides added value for leadership, decision-making, synergy, unambiguous management, learning opportunities and corporate ethics. But it is not always a ‘must.’ Sometimes the investments and costs of a real MT do not weigh up against the results and synergy possibilities because the preconditions for a real MT are not present.
Ten pitfalls for MT’s are:
Pitfall 1: the blinkered MT
Pitfall 2: who is in command?
Pitfall 3: undesired exercise of power
Pitfall 4: diverse personal interests
Pitfall 5: insufficient qualities and lack of understanding
Pitfall 6: lack of trust
Pitfall 7: lack of commitment
Pitfall 8: that dreadful group process!
Pitfall 9: know-it-alls and egos
Pitfall 10: ritual or reality?
The following ‘Ten Commandments for a real management team’ present the critical success factors for turning a group of managers into a real MT.
Commandment 1: give the TEAM its own specific tasks
Commandment 2: appoint good management team members
Commandment 3: provide quality
Commandment 4: provide effectiveness
Commandment 5: pull together
Commandment 6: choose the right leader
Commandment 7: keep things constructive and dynamic
Commandment 8: trust each other
Commandment 9: stimulate open information exchange
Commandment 10: stimulate personal input