Modern team management: styles, methods, and practical tools

Team management is a complex activity that coordinates a group of specialists with common goals and objectives within a project or company. They differ from management in that they focus and create a synergy of participants, where the joint results are higher than the combined individual efforts. The goal is achieved – a high business result, with maximum disclosure of the potentials of all members, and a productive working environment is created.

In conditions of high competition and digitalization, it is especially important to be able to manage a team due to the need:

1. Operational development of projects surrounded by growing competitors, when the pace of business processes is high. It requires a reduction in communication time and the exchange of project data.
2. Involve the team, with increased interest in achieving a common goal. With shared databases, make information available by an authorized person. This will speed up the decisions being made.
3. To stimulate innovation. A business leader should strive to maximize the stimulation of collective creativity, create teams with highly effective people, and bring them to the desired result.
4. Attract and retain talent. When there is high competition, the importance is not only in good conditions, but also in opportunities to grow and self-actualize.
5. To improve the business reputation in the company. Promptly carry out projects and improve the quality of products.

The following methods can be used to assess how well a company’s efficiency is managed:

1. Economic. It reflects the effectiveness of fulfilling plans, reducing costs, and increasing market share. Profitability, solvency, profitability and liquidity are mathematically determined.
2. Strategic. Analysis of management’s actions when making important decisions. Analysis of the REST – the influence of external conditions, and SWOT – what are the strengths and weaknesses. SPACE analysis determines the strategic position in the market, with an assessment of actions. Comparison with competitors.
3. Administrative – how the hierarchy and interaction with the team are built. How decisions are made. Top–down approaches are the prerogative of management, and bottom–up approaches are employee analysis of their work, process management on a par with managers.
4. Estimated – market share in comparison with competitors and differences from them, annual income, speed of achievement of results.
5. Comprehensive – the assessment is the most accurate, using several criteria.

Such assessments help to identify shortcomings that hinder business development and identify growth prospects. For example, McKinsey offers an assessment of the effectiveness of a team using three approaches:

1. Analyzing not only what is being done, but also how it is being done (attitude to work).
2. Use different sources, use those indicators that really reflect the employee’s contribution.
3. Regular comparison of the employee’s current performance with the potential that was stated at the time of hiring.

This analysis improves the quality of hiring and reduces staff turnover.

What is team management?

Managing a team means performing a set of actions:

1. Set and achieve goals, with planning stages in the work.
2. Allocate and coordinate tasks and resources. A synergistic pool of efforts.
3. Be in constant communication with employees. Expand their capabilities.
4. Motivate the participants. To set up a team to achieve maximum results.
5. Resolve conflicts. Create a friendly atmosphere.

Team management differs from general management in that it focuses on the joint results of collective efforts, rather than adding up individual contributions.

Thus, team management is not a skill, but a set of measures in the management system – to coordinate, motivate, resolve conflicts, and develop the team. Not only the task statement and the evaluation of the work, but the vision of the team as a whole, with the importance of each, and the connecting link – the leader.

The role of a leader: who is a modern leader

Modern leaders are divided into the following four types.

Strategist

A man with a long-term vision. It creates a base for long-term operation. Develops a strategy, a business plan, prepares for the introduction of new products. Practical examples: The head of the oil and gas concern analyzed the largest business unit and came up with a new tool for growing competitive advantage; the paper company’s strategist led the company to create new competitive products in a series of innovative seminars.

Organizer

It is important for the organizer to maintain a balance between the system and the people. His qualities are attentiveness and exactingness, rigor and thoughtfulness. The ability to make quick and effective decisions. He has ambitious goals for the team, listens and hears other people’s opinions, and reviews his wrong steps.

A practical example: this type of leader included Steve Jobs, who created Apple and made it a leading global company.

Leader

Such a leader tries not to interfere and leave decisions to the employees.

This type includes such famous people: Steve Jobs (and here too) – as an authoritarian leader; Democrat Larry Page (from Google), Democrat Warren Buffett – a billionaire communicator; charismatic Adolf Hitler.

The communicator

This type of leader is a fan of meetings, discussions, meetings, conferences. He understands learning and development. But it doesn’t require you to listen to it. He does not recognize officialdom with the team, adheres to open relations with both work issues and pleasant communication.

Such leaders include Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Google co-founder Larry Page (again), who listened to the craziest ideas.

As you can see, managers often combine different types. But it is always important that the team maintains a healthy and businesslike balance between control and trust.

Team Management Styles

In addition to the personality type of managers, there is a distinction between their styles of behavior with subordinates.

The authoritarian style

Independent decision-making by the head, with clear instructions for subordinates. Each task is controlled by him. The requirements of unquestioning execution, without listening to the opinions of subordinate staff.

The advantages of such a guide:

1. Everything is under his control, with iron discipline. He personally determines the strategy and tasks, deadlines, and approaches to the solution. Employees are not forgiven for mistakes, they strictly perform their tasks.
2. Stability, even in crisis situations.
3. Transparency of processes. Employees understand everything about the tasks, and the situation in the company is well known.

There are disadvantages to this strong style:

1. Strong staff turnover. Many people can’t stand it even with high salaries.
2. Weak feedback from below vertically – information often does not reach due to limited access.
3. Initiatives are suppressed, ideas are not accepted.
4. There is no team spirit. There is no cohesion, mutual assistance, or division of responsibility.
5. The manager is heavily loaded with decision-making and control, which leads to exhaustion.

This strong style has serious drawbacks too.

Democratic style

With this style, management and employees work as a team with common goals. Managers listen to opinions, although they reserve the right to make decisions. Employees are allowed to dynamically adjust deadlines when completing tasks.

The positive aspects of such leadership:

1. The team’s interest in the results.
2. Teamwork with support and mutual assistance increases efficiency.
3. Responsibility, independence, and organization of employees.

Disadvantages of democracy in the company:

1. Decisions take a long time to make, and effort is wasted. The manager must justify them and spend time.
2. It is suitable when employees are psychologically mature and capable of a healthy assessment of style. Those employees whose opinion is not taken into account by the team are demotivated and dismissed.
3. In emergency situations, there is a need for authoritarian solutions, which not everyone is ready for.

This style is not universal, and it is not suitable for everyone.

The liberal style

With this approach, the boss explains the essence of the tasks, creating conditions for the solution, and clarifying the results. Without putting pressure on employees, and monitoring every step.

The advantages of a liberal approach:

1. In flexibility. Receiving ideas and solutions from subordinates quickly adapts the company to new conditions, increasing its competitive ability.
2. In the self-organization of employees in terms of time and workload.
3. In motivation, when an employee is responsible for a project, active participation in team activities is initiated.
4. The effectiveness of the results from the interested team.
5. Professional growth, development of creative, communicative, and leadership skills.

The liberal disadvantages include:

1. Without skills, free activity is ineffective.
2. Without hierarchy and authority, conflicts arise with frequent disagreements.
3. Not everyone is ready for such freedom and responsibility at the same time.
4. In these organizations, earnings are often not stable, because money is paid based on results.

A liberal style is not acceptable with high safety requirements and compliance with the rules in the construction, manufacturing, and government structures.

Mentoring style

The head practices support, mentoring, and staff assistance in personal and professional development. Striving to discover talents, sending them to study at courses and trainings.

The advantages of mentoring style:

1. The personnel potential is developing. Improving skills, knowledge, and abilities ultimately increases the professional level of the team.
2. The relationship, trusting attitude and open communication between management and staff are improving.
3. Experience and knowledge are transferred. Beginners adapt easily and avoid mistakes.
4. Independence and responsibility, informed decisions are stimulated.
5. A favorable atmosphere and friendliness are created.

The disadvantages of the mentoring approach:

1. When their affairs are interfered with, subordinates lose their effectiveness.
2. It is ineffective in crises and dynamic situations. The mentor does not adapt well to them.

At the same time, a mentoring approach requires an experienced and highly qualified leader, of whom there are few.

Delegating style

Cumulative techniques in which subordinates are assigned work tasks for independent study with the freedom to choose how to implement them.

Advantages of the style:

1. The burden on management is reduced.
2. The motivation and interest of the staff increases.
3. Everyone has their own tasks and responsibilities. There is no confusion and shifting tasks to others.
4. Employees value trust and value their position. The corporate spirit is developing.
5. The potential of each member is revealed, the quality of performance is growing.

Disadvantages of delegation:

1. The manager has a double responsibility – for the project and for the selection of personnel.
2. The risk of missed deadlines and losses due to the wrong choice.
3. Not all employees are capable of high responsibility.
4. Other employees are growing so much that they leave the team for a higher position elsewhere.

As you can see, each style has pros and cons. Therefore, a combination of the best properties of each style will be effective in management, in accordance with each situation separately.

Management methods and tools

When managing teams, a set of measures is used for the successful implementation of the project.

Planning

Its essence is as follows:

1. Identify common goals in the project, and each employee should have an understanding of them.
2. Assign roles and tasks to people.
3. Create a documented general plan as a guideline for each participant.
4. Use special approaches, schedules with short cycles and deadlines.

With planning, there is an awareness of motivation and responsibility for the project.

Development of forms of communication

In addition to formal means (phone, Skype, e-mail), informal communication channels help: Slack, Telegram, Zoom, and a number of others. All of them allow you to conduct dialogues and team communication in text, voice, and video. Corporate ethics of communication and behavior patterns are being formed. But it must be borne in mind that in addition to motivation, inspiration and assistance in communication, they are also distracting, sometimes morally destructive. Therefore, it requires monitoring and shaping everyone’s responsibility for compliance with the working regime.

Control

To control the working modes in the team, time tracking and task identification systems are used.:

1. The Bitcop system automatically takes into account the working hours devoted to work by freelancers and employees. Monitors their activity at the computer, as well as lateness, interruptions, the beginning and end of work, absenteeism and early departures.
2. The Planfix system manages the business process, including the team, tasks, and project. Plans goals and monitors their achievement, as well as how tasks are performed.
3. Yandex.Tracker – manages projects for small and large companies. Creates tasks, assigns performers and deadlines, priorities and statuses.

The tools allow projects to work automatically.

Delegation

A process where a manager transfers parts of authority, tasks, and responsibilities to team members. Thus, the workloads are distributed, and the head is released for strategic tasks. Experience of scaling is being gained.

Decisions on the distribution of powers and tasks are made by the head together with leading specialists.

This is necessary to speed up work, expand the business, improve work efficiency, and develop strategies.

Motivation

A powerful method of influencing teams and individual employees, teams and divisions.

Financial methods include bonuses, salary increases, and bonuses for qualifications and responsible work.

Non-financial methods include rewards and gratitude for services, competitions and contests with prizes, corporate events with weekend trips and anniversaries, holidays. Training at the expense of the company, privileges – preferences, company car. KPIs are indicators of achievements by employees and departments.

Decision-making

The manager’s role in eliminating internal problems is to find difficulties in the company’s work with feedback, analysis and decision–making to achieve the set goal. After studying the situation and collecting data, based on the experience and information gathered, the optimal path is chosen.

Creating and developing an effective team

The team is created in stages:

1. Goals and objectives are defined.
2. Forming a team with the selection, acquaintance, and distribution of roles.
3. A motivating atmosphere is created.
4. The stage of development and education.
5. Work is planned and coordinated.

There are five stages of team development according to the Tuchman model: the inclusion of people in the project, conflicts with recognition of roles, normalization and understanding of the way to solve problems, teamwork, and completion of work, the team is disbanded.

When working as a team, it is important to support growth with training, mentoring, and career advancement.

Practical advice

It is recommended to adhere to the rules:

1. Orders with a commanding tone are appropriate only in emergency situations.
2. Encourage, thank, and motivate more often.
3. To monitor the burnout of employees and keep abreast of events, to help them recover.
4. You have to fire them too. Don’t be afraid to part with unfavorable people.
5. Set realistic goals, and don’t change everything at once.
6. Look for talents and develop a corporate culture.
7. Be open.

Conclusion

Competent team management should be built in accordance with the conditions and environment, the type and scale of the project. The number, specialization, and qualifications of the recruited staff depend on this. Accordingly, it is necessary to select management tools and methods. It is necessary to develop a management style and approaches to the team with adaptation to the team and the future project.