Operational and Team Spheres That Impact Your Teams Success

Sometimes you simply scratch your head and wonder if it is you or your company that seems out of whack. Sometimes it is you, but I bet the majority of the problems are caused by the misalignment of core components in your company.  I will make this easy to understand, using the laws of three; you will see how your team fits in with the “big picture” of your company and how easily a misalignment can occur.

Picture your company operating within three core spheres:  

• Organizational Structure
• Priorities & Philosophy
• Human Capitol

Each has a different core function that must be equally balanced to create a successful company. The more overlap between the three spheres the more aligned your organization will be and this increases your chances of success. Think of a helicopter rotor. There is more strength at the center and the blades move slower that at the edges. The farther apart the spheres are in your company the more energy you have to use to be successful. Too much overlap in one area will cause in imbalance.  Now, let’s take a closer look at the operational spheres.

The Organizational structure is the architecture of your organization outlining who is responsible for each system. It also explains the hierarchy from the boss to the bottom person. In some cases there is redundant overlap in one area and not enough assets in another causing an imbalance.

The Priorities & Philosophy provide reason for the existence of your company. In some cases priorities have changed but the philosophy has not evolved to the changing climate of today’s business environment. This leaves people wondering what the overall mission of the company is supposed to accomplish, besides surviving.

The last sphere is your company’s Human Capitol. Your human capitol, employees, is the greatest asset your company has. In times of crisis, your employees can think on their feet and instantly make changes based on observations that modern machines cannot. As an organization you must answer the question, do you have the right people working for you? Do my employees have the correct skills and knowledge to take you to the next level? Ultimately, do they believe in your company and want to be apart of its success?  

From the Operational Spheres, we go to the Individual Unit Spheres. Your team, and its overall success, is directly linked through the Human Capitol sphere In other words, the Human Capital Sphere provides the employees for your team to operate.  All work teams in your company are comprised also comprised of three spheres. Again, the more overlap the spheres the more successful your team will be. The more successful your team the more likely your company will be successful. Now we look at relationships of a smaller set of spheres in which your team operates. These smaller spheres are described:

• Organizational  expectations of my team
• The leader’s needs
• The teams’ capabilities

The first sphere answers the question, “What are the expectations of my team from the organization?” Within this sphere another question is then asked, “How does the effectiveness of my team impact my company’s success?”  If it has no impact then you should be looking for another job because you will eventually be downsized out of your current one.  Your team should be building a competitive edge for your company. If it is not then turn your team around and create one; success is built on the shoulders of the smallest teams.

The second sphere answers, “What does your leader need to be successful?” Do they have all the personnel and equipment necessary to accomplish their tasks?  What skills and abilities do they need to take you to the next level? This one can be answered at www.integritasleadership.net/matrix.

Lastly, the remaining sphere answers the question, “What are the capabilities of your team?” Does your team have the individual abilities to both accomplish the expectations of your company and fulfill the needs of your leader? Do they need additional training or equipment? If the team is not capable of accomplishing their assigned tasks then the company is crippled at the lowest levels. These three spheres need to be aligned and fully functioning before your team can make a positive impact on your company.

As you have just read, it is easy for a company to become misaligned creating confusion among the teams and employees. The next time you question how effective your team is, think about the different spheres and see if you can create a competitive edge for your self by jumping in and fixing the problems.