Number 6 - How well are your teams intentionally designed to maximise performance?

I get irritated when I order food at a restaurant and half my meal turns up. This is often down to poor coordination. Poor team coordination either within or between teams is a customer experience killer!

In the previous email we explored structure, in this email we touch on the next step of intentionally designing teams to maximise performance.

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Henry Ford

Every team needs to understand the critical interfaces which need to be managed internally, and with other teams. The coordination activities which manage these interfaces can range from informal “watercooler” moments to formal line management. The temptation is to build everything into the structure but that way lies inflexibility. Consider what are the critical few coordination activities needed that will maximise team performance, this could include digital coordination using a kanban board, group process e.g. to collectively develop a strategy, or maybe an integrator role shared between teams.

Why is this important?
Coordination of work is critical to minimising silos, ongoing alignment across the organisation, ensuring delivery on time and in full, and making sure priorities are met.

So how well are your coordination activities working?

Regards,
Nick Richmond

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