The Value of Teamwork
By Richard Head
Teamwork is essential in today’s rough-and-tumble business environment – particularly for projects that are complex and require multiple skill sets to accomplish. Records and information management (RIM) projects usually require buy-in from diverse individuals and groups because RIM practices cut across the entire organization.
The benefits of teamwork include:
-
Building credibility with other individuals and work groups, especially when RIM works with IT, business units, and legal and compliance departments
-
Building trust among team members and gaining trust from other business units as the team coalesces and develops its expertise. This pays dividends not only for the current project, but for future efforts.
-
A sense of ownership, accomplishment, and pride among those individuals who worked on the project
-
A means of developing new skills among members of the team, including better communication and marketing abilities, along with a sense of confidence that team members can tackle other projects in the future
-
The creativity that comes from multiple people working on an issue
-
There are a few drawbacks to operating in a team environment, including:
-
Cultural resistance to new ideas and change, especially by the do-it-yourself solo performer
-
Not all team members are there willingly, especially in the beginning. Some members may be “pressed into service” on the team because of their expertise or because of their position in the department or organization.
- Teamwork can, in certain situations, take a bit longer to get some things completed, especially when taking into consideration the organizing and startup efforts inherent in forming the team and making it operational.
All things considered, however, a team effort can produce more, have greater influence, and have longer-lasting results. So, let’s look at some essential steps that have a make-or-break effect on a team.
Clear Goals and Outcomes Identified
Clearly defined goals and measurable outcomes that can quickly and clearly be articulated are essential. Team members need to know the answers to the following questions:
-
What is it, exactly, that the team will do?
-
What business benefit will come from the effort?
-
How will we know success when we see it?
-
When will it happen?
-
What happens after we’ve met the goals and objectives? Are there other goals to tackle?
Sponsorship and Support
An executive sponsor can lend legitimacy, as well as urgency, to the team’s project, and make it easier to request for the kind of expertise necessary to fill out the team. An executive sponsor can be any individual (e.g. a department director, business unit head, a division vice president, a C-level executive) who has the authority in your organization to say, “This is an important effort that deserves your support.”
Team Leadership
A team leader must be named and have authority, as well as responsibility. While the team tries to operate in a spirit of unity and collaboration, the reality is team members won’t always agree. The team leader might have to make a final decision if the team can’t come to a consensus agreement. And the leader must have the full support of the executive sponsor to make necessary decisions.
Competent Team Members
Assembling a competent team requires more than simply choosing members who are good at what they do. Relationships among team members have a huge effect on morale and productivity. The team’s outcomes are paramount; personal agendas – even outright sabotage or passive aggressiveness – cannot be allowed to get in the way. This again is where executive sponsorship comes into play, because some team members may be reluctantly pressed into service and may not initially have the team’s success at heart.
Collaboration
A collaborative working environment is one where team members don’t always have to agree. Disagreement and conflict are not only to be expected, they’re actually healthy. Creativity and growth comes from conflict and its resolution. The team must be honest, open, and respectful of everyone’s views, and still encourage members to express when they are in disagreement.
Teamwork is essential when business and the economy are good, and it is even more essential when times are tough, staff resources are thin, and the success of the company may be riding on the outcome.
Resources:
A helpful resource is the web seminar, “Keys to Effective Business Communication,” which is open for registration until 12:00 p.m. (CT), Friday, September 18, 2009. The viewing period is Monday, September 21, 2009 – Tuesday, September 29, 2009. The live teleconference is 12:00 p.m. (CT), Tuesday, September 29, 2009.
Check out the web seminar “Managing the Part-Time RIM Project Team,” which is now available “On Demand” from ARMA International. Visit www.arma.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=ARMAISeminarArchive to view it.
Sidebar: Teamwork Needed for GARP(SM) Compliance
For example, to comply with the principle of disposition, which says “an organization shall provide secure and appropriate disposition for records that are no longer required to be maintained by applicable laws and the organization’s policies,” an organization would need to assemble a team comprising staff from RIM, legal, IT, and HR to:
-
Develop and document policies and procedures related to the retention and disposition of records
-
Develop and regularly conduct training throughout the organization to ensure every employee understands the policy and procedures and makes a commitment to following them
-
Conduct periodic audits to ensure that all employees are in compliance, retaining records in compliance with the organization’s records retention policy and disposing of it securely when no longer needed.