Objective Driven Team Structure

/ TEAMS

Team members are often chosen for the wrong reasons: for example, they are often chosen because they have an interest in the project, because their wage is affordable, or most often simply because they are available. They are not chosen with Result Actualization based on Project objectives in mind. This brings to attention the need for developing a team formation structure with a focus on optimal output. Structuring teams for optimal output are at the core of the Result Driven Team Methodology

Adopting from the OKR Playbook (Objectives and Key Results), a popular management strategy for goal setting within organizations driven by connecting companies, teams and personal goals to measurable results, Result Driven Teams are the Same as Objective Driven Teams (ODT), we take a look at some of the What and Hows of ODT

What are Objective Driven Team Structures

The first consideration in organizing a team is to determine the team’s broad objective. Let’s take a look at the Larson and Lafasto broad objectives template:

  • Problem resolution
  • Creativity
  • Tactical execution

Once you’ve established the broad objective, you choose a team structure that matches it. Larson and LaFasto define three general team structures for effective, high-performance team

It takes more than just a group of people who happen to work together to constitute a team. In the book, The Wisdom of Teams, Katzenbach and Smith (1993) define a team as “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” Teamwork can come into play on various projects types as well as in software development on any number of specific tasks.

Objective driven teams have essential these characteristics

From Steve’s Rapid Development, there are four essential characteristics of a results-driven team structure:

  • Roles must be clear, and everyone must be accountable for their work at all times. Accountability is critical to effective decision making and to rapid execution after the decisions have been made.

  • The team must have an effective communication system that supports the free flow of information among team members. Communication must flow freely both from and to the team’s management.

  • The team must have some means of monitoring individual performance and providing feedback. The team should know whom to reward, who needs individual development, and who can assume more responsibilities in the future.

  • Decisions must be made based on facts rather than on subjective opinions whenever possible. The team needs to be sure that the facts are interpreted without biases that undercut the functioning of the team.

Achieving Objective Driven Team Structures

  • Manage Teams as Teams, with little to no interference, when there is a problem instead of team leads taking it upon themselves to punish or solve these issues, they should rather walk by the side of the team member to point them in the right direction for how to go about their blocks or productivity conflict

  • Create an accomodating environment for contribution from team members, in what ever way they intend to deliver on set goals based on guidelines instead of strict process adherence. Examples, A teammate may choose to take down minutes from a standup with a recording device, or pen and paper or simply type on their laptop, achieving the goals should be core focus and less on the process.

  • In team selection, ensure there is a blend of technical, business, management and interpersonal skills, of course this would vary across various disciplines and not only apply to the world or business or startups.

  • Ensure that team members obtain specific soft skills, or collaboration skills required to work effectively with others, if communications are aligned with slack or issues are triaged with github, team leads and managers should ensure that all team members are fully acquainted with the resource and knowledge to use these tools and frameworks in order to streamline communication and collaboration.

Objective driven teams are driven by a common goal and vision and are invested in the same amount of work and tide, doing this results in massive gains of accomplished goals and milestones, where team members tend to take happiness seriously and experience high levels of enjoyment.

In conclusion, a lot of reading can try to point you to the right direction as to how to achieve these goals, I decided to highlight these characteristics so that you as team members can identify the state of your team and take action.

I hope you found this insightful, I’m still curious and hope you are too — What do you think are the best ways to pioneer teams towards results and objective actualization ? Please, share them in the comments and help us all build better and stronger teams.