Overcoming Obstacles to Team Success
Teams in your organization are like cells in your body. They both are where the action is. Where work gets done, energy is produced, and results are delivered. Unfortunately, organizations often put obstacles in the way of their own team success.
Here are five potential obstacles to look out for if you are working to build effective teams.
1. Structures.
Watch out for organizational structures that confuse, reduce accountability, or stovepipe people.
2. Processes.
Watch out for misaligned processes that don’t allow people to do their very best work.
3. Workspace.
Watch out for workspaces that limit everyone’s ability to interact, reduce collaboration, and create Us vs. Them situations.
4. Technology.
Watch out for technology initiatives that cause people to serve the technology rather than the other way around.
5. Policies.
Watch out for policies that signal distrust, adversely inhibit employee initiative, or create useless bureaucracy.
Patrick Leddin, PhD is a speaker, global leadership consultant, and The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Five-Week Leadership Challenge. Patrick is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University with a thriving leadership blog and podcast, and 25-years of leadership experience. He offers an unparalleled mix of academic rigor and real-world experience.