MAKING MICRO TEAMS SUCCEED
Micro teams has been an established concept in the IT sector for a different purpose. It was fun to get goodness of this concept to the Apparel / ecommerce sector. Probably for the first time.
2020, Covid times provided an opportunity to experiment with the newer models, which can quickly adopt to the rapidly changing environment.
Why Micro teams ?
A startup is a typical Micro team, which has its own advantages of speed, innovation, ownership, high accountability, agility etc. And they are quite effective in problem solving. Micro teams creates hypothesis, experiment, learns from it, and course correct. Which makes them effective in unknown or new businesses.
This feat confirmed that Micro teams can produce unimaginable results.
What lead to the success of Micro teams in this environment ?
Focus on Problem :
Titles are not important. Nor privileges. What is important in new age organisations is the relentless pursuit of problem solving. Such environments move focus from structure to outcomes. And I was amazed to see that members of teams were not asking if it was their job... but getting after a problem. Team was new, and they were new to the processes. Processes were not created for the buy and sell business model, hence they were more difficult and convoluted. Yet micro teams found their own way rather quickly.
Trust:
Such construts can succed in org. which fundamentally resides on trust. Which takes the responsibility of decision making to where it belongs. Trust around decision making, access to data, making their own mistakes etc. No presentations, no complex approval processes, no memos just quick action by the Micro teams. Teams like menswear, womenswear, kids wear etc.
Transparency :
Trust enables transparency. No hidden agendas. Nothing to be suspicious of. Enabling teams to work better within themselves and also with other teams.
Partying Together :
Teams found ways to come together beside offices. Parties, Coffees, travel together etc. This helped in breaking ice and also generate sense of comradery.
Clarity of goals :
Getting clarity of goals is difficult thing to have in the startup environments, as its a moving goalpost. However, once these goals are broken down into smaller timeframes, they provide high degree of direction and speed.
I was not aware of the term micro teams, till much after the new life style team was formed. A friend who teaches strategy in the Management institutes told me that what we have created is a model of the micro teams. And that it can come with its own challenges.
Challenges of Micro teams ?
Process buildup and adherence:
Smaller teams develops their own model of working. Review systems, reports etc and hence their recognition of the process is quite low. They run the risk of missing on processes and hence missing on the ability to scale without lapses. Best way is prevent this is to have common control systems which provides common frameworks and instructions for teams to operate in. This task was very well done by the Business finance teams / controller teams/ HR teams etc, who held the micro teams together.
Lack of learning from each other:
In their own pursuit and need for speed, teams ignore the opportunity to learn from one another. While its burdensome to create mandate around it. I think it best done by creating opportunities and events where people come together and have free flowing conversation around work and learnings.
These structures would evolve over the period of time. And it would be lovely to see how people and structures evolve with the changing times.
