Leveraging Diverse Dynamic Teams

22 June 2009

Many organizations establish "teamwork" as a goal. Beyond the obvious need to have colleagues play nice when they are together, teamwork also holds the promise of synergy, power, and success.

The average corporation has many teams. The best teams are organized and trained in advance so that members work well together. Teams should be comprised of people appropriately matched to the tasks at hand. The best teams also have shared values and clarity of vision.

The worst teams have members that are political, competitive, and unaccustomed to working together. In a bad team, the strengths of the team members are expended in multiple directions or turned against other members.

The benefits of dynamic

The term "dynamic teams" refers to groups of people that are quickly organized to answer the demands of a unique project or situation. Dynamic teams can be disbanded just a quickly as they are formed.

The average corporation has no dynamic teams. Most teams are selected out of a limited pool of employees. Often, the teams come together over months or years. Employees are susceptible to politics and competition. And, while many corporations tend to lay people off more quickly than in past years, it is still a slow process to disband an employee-based team.

Large companies can benefit from nimble contractor teams that are created on the fly, comprised of experts who are trained to work together, and disbanded as soon as the project is finished. Benefits include: faster response times, better work product, and decreased costs.

The power of diversity

At a conference on marriage, one expert referred to research that says most people (about 80-90%) marry someone with an opposite personality. It appears that we are naturally attracted to people who have strengths that will compensate for our weaknesses. The idea that diverse personalities make for naturally stronger organizations is as true in marriage as it is in business.

Many companies miss the point on diversity. They think diversity is about race, culture, or schooling. These things might provide some diversity, but the only sure way to realize the power of diversity comes from combining true differences of personality. Check out our articles on Cyclopraxis for examples of personality types that are helpful in business.

Diverse teams possess significant synergistic power if they are organized to leverage the unique strengths of each member.

Imagine a four step process where each step is managed by someone whose personality is most suited to their particular step. Each person is an expert in his or her field. A team that is not organized by personality does not have the same advantages and is likely to be disadvantaged by the mismatch of strengths and tasks.

Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits for Highly Effective People said that diversity is powerful only when there is a shared value or goal. See our articles on Shared Values.

Conclusion

Companies large and small should leverage diverse, dynamic teams as part of their workforce. They will be more likely to succeed if the teams have shared values and goals, have been trained, and when individuals are able to do the work they are most suited to perform.