TEAM MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Every team needs the motivation to get the results the business needs. For that, the job to be done and the final destination must be crystal clear. Each team member shall be empowered to do what is required. Each person must feel confident to bring new ways to improve the results (and the journey until there).

Team Management: Texto

THE CHALLENGE

I became the company's Brand responsible manager after the Communication area went through a significant restructuring. The context was one of uncertainty in all teams because, in addition to changes in the management body, the teams' composition has changed due to an extensive internal selection process. The brand management area presented significant challenges:
- Half of the team was renewed, while the other half had many years in the same management. The risk was a division between the two groups, which would damage the team's unity.
- There was already an internal division between groups that performed two different processes. A recent diagnosis brought a feeling of overload from part of the team and that the workload distribution was not well balanced.
- There was a feeling of unproductiveness, as some projects had no horizon for completion, despite having great dedication from professionals.
- There was no clarity concerning routine processes, and the projects in progress did not have a defined structure for monitoring and measuring.

THE PROCESS

To overcome these challenges and achieve positive results with the group, I set a cycle of individual and collaborative sessions (doubles and large groups), over 40 days. First, I needed to establish an open relationship and build trust between the team and me as a newcomer manager, which was possible through individual interviews.
Then, to "break the ice," everyone was asked to build an Ignite presentation about themselves, freely addressing aspects they wanted. Thus, everyone could have an initial picture of their colleagues, who addressed personal and professional aspects. In the next session, we did several rounds of playing games, creating a relaxed atmosphere and breaking down barriers for interactions.
We then dedicated the following sessions to clarify and understand our area's role, regular tasks, and projects. Once distinguished, the activities were detailed and estimated the necessary resources for its completion. It became clear the difference between processes and projects.
We have then identified opportunities for process improvement (or even eliminating by building structuring tools or redirecting to the proper responsible area). It was possible to prioritize the projects, considering available and needed resources, urgency (in case of risks involved), and positive impact within the organization. We could then define the projects that would be in our portfolio for the next year.
The next step was for each team member, individually, to put some thoughts about every project and match his / her skills and/or interest in learning opportunities. From that point, I attributed the activities and goals for every employee, considering their desires and keeping them motivated.
Finally, each team member worked on structuring the assigned projects on Project Model Canvas and defining a schedule for deliveries.

Tools & Techniques: Individual Interviews, Ignite Presentations, Microsoft Excel, Design Thinking Sessions, Project Model Canvas.

RESULTS

First, the risk of having a divided team has been successfully mitigated, establishing a cohesive team with the work developing fluidly.
The work was divided evenly, with little need for adjustments throughout the year. The volume of deliveries for each project was remarkable that year, with around 30 projects completed. Of these, 30% had a corporate impact (company-wide, not restricted to the communication area). These indexes remained at the same levels in the following years.
The assessment carried out by employees in the ambience survey is another success factor, which is very high compared to the historical average and with other teams in the Communication area. It is worth highlighting (100/100 index) on questions as aligning individual work with the business plan, participation in work-related decisions, granting delegation to carry out the work and confidence in the manager's decisions.