In the professional world, team management is a crucial issue. Poor management can have negative consequences for the company as a whole, while good management can considerably improve team performance and promote well-being at work.
Diagnosis: understanding the causes of poor team management
To begin with, it’s essential to identify the main causes of poor team management so that we can do something about it.
- Lack of involvement on the part of the manager: a manager who is absent or uninterested in the issues facing his or her team is likely to lead to a lack of motivation and tension between team members.
- Lack of communication: a manager who doesn’t talk sufficiently to his or her staff can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication, particularly with regard to expectations and objectives.
- Poor leadership: a manager who lacks authority and/or benevolence can generate internal conflicts and hamper collective performance.
- Inadequate talent management: if managers fail to identify and develop individual skills, they run the risk of dissatisfying certain employees and creating frustration within the team.
Solutions: implement actions to remedy poor team management
Once the causes have been identified, it’s time to take appropriate measures to improve team management and thus foster better overall performance.
- Strengthen the manager’s presence in the field: being closer to team members will enable the manager to better understand their problems and adapt his or her management style accordingly.
- Improve internal communication: organizing regular meetings, encouraging exchanges between colleagues and facilitating the sharing of information are all ways of strengthening team cohesion and improving internal relations.
- Adopt an adapted team leadership style: depending on the situation, a manager needs to know how to show authority while remaining benevolent. He or she can draw on various techniques, such as team leadership, to achieve this.
- Develop the skills of each team member: the manager must identify individual talents and make the most of them, so as to contribute to the collective success.
- Resolve conflicts quickly: when faced with internal tensions, it’s important not to let the situation fester. The manager must listen to team members, understand their concerns and find solutions to ease tensions.
The role of interpersonal skills in team success
To achieve optimal team management, it is essential that managers also develop their interpersonal skills, such as empathy, the ability to motivate and guide, and the ability to resolve conflicts amicably. These skills can make the difference between effective management and poor management, which could lead to a drop in overall performance and harm the team as a whole.
Measure and monitor results to adjust team management
It’s important for managers to regularly measure the impact of their team management on individual and collective performance. To do this, they can use a variety of indicators, such as :
- Achievement of objectives (quantitative and qualitative)
- Customer or user satisfaction
- level of employee commitment and involvement
- Staff turnover and burnout rates
Armed with this data, the manager can adapt his or her management style to the needs of the team and the challenges encountered. In this way, he or she can maintain a high level of performance while fostering a good working environment for all employees.
