Initiating a new venture can prove to be a daunting challenge, particularly for startups. As the team leader, it’s crucial to have faith in your own abilities, but that alone might not suffice. It becomes imperative to recruit the most competent and proficient staff possible to ensure success.
Perhaps you’re not acquainted with the anime franchise, One Piece? That’s perfectly fine; it indicates that you’re not entirely steeped in geek culture. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the Japanese manga-based One Piece anime series has aired for more than a thousand episodes, thus making it the longest-running series to date. Although it’s a work of fiction, it’s worth contemplating the team building tactics utilised by the primary protagonists; they serve as a noteworthy model of thriving collaboration in the startup industry.
The plot in One Piece revolves around Luffy’s aspiration to become Pirate King. He has assembled an impressive team to assist him in accomplishing this objective, and they have stayed together for over a thousand episodes. Intriguingly, none of the team members shared the same goal; none of them appeared to be interested in becoming the ruler of the pirates.
Despite having divergent objectives, the team managed to reconcile their differences and cooperate on vital aspects. Analysing their evolution over time furnishes valuable insights on how to establish an efficient team. While this serves as an excellent illustration, it’s essential to reflect on how this can be implemented in a practical setting.
Is Group Progress Feasible in Remote Teams, Above All?
For budding enterprises, supervising team development can be arduous, especially when personnel are scattered across different time zones. Scheduling meetings that allow all members to attain the requisite rapport to collaborate productively is no easy feat. How can we guarantee that this objective is accomplished?
Relating Luffy and his team’s escapades is not relevant in this circumstance, given that they opted to reside on a vessel. However, with over a decade of experience in remote work, we can proffer relevant guidance. To ensure your enterprise flourishes, we advise you to source and onboard proficient IT technicians. Additionally, it’s crucial to meticulously inspect all your equipment.
After assembling your team and configuring the requisite equipment, it’s crucial that everyone is working harmoniously towards the same objective. Fortunately, you’re not alone in this predicament. Various real-world instances, exhibiting both triumphs and failures, can aid you in identifying at least five means of enhancing your enterprise.
Five Clear-Cut Phases of Group Progression
At Works, we excel in constructing and enlisting remote teams, under the conviction that, when aptly implemented, such teams can be more efficient and united than their office-based equivalents.
Over the years, we have channelled significant energy into aiding enterprises in finding the most fitting remote workers. Once we’ve recruited the appropriate personnel, we address team building and team dynamics. While each situation is distinct, we have observed several patterns that can serve as valuable tools in detecting and addressing any predicaments regarding group growth and teamwork.
In 1965, American psychologist Bruce Tuckman pinpointed five stages of group progression: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The advantage of this is that each of these phases has been attributed with a distinct term, providing enhanced comprehension and supervision of group development.
What are Tuckman’s Stages of Group Progression?
For over a decade, we have been delivering prime resources for start-up ventures to construct triumphant teams. This write-up offers a concise overview of the Tuckman Model and its applicability to remote working teams.
Commencement, or Forming
The primary phase for any nascent team, but particularly for a start-up, is to get to identify each other, establish objectives, arrange their work, and delegate responsibilities. This will require numerous meetings and modifications.
At this primary stage, it’s critical to underscore the weight of psychological dynamics. As the project and team dynamics develop, some team members may become more reliant and seek guidance.
At this juncture, your managerial proficiencies will be put to the test. When directing a team, it’s critical to define attainable and explicit objectives that can be accomplished. Be accessible in case your team has any inquiries, and be ready to alter your approach in response to their feedback.
It’s crucial to stay alert during the onboarding phase, particularly for remote teams, as this first stage might seem disorderly. Prioritizing the establishment of reliable communication channels and a suitable framework for delegated tasks is crucial when bringing a new worker aboard or constructing a new team.
At this primary phase, it’s crucial to give precedence to forming connections over accomplishing particular tasks. Once the team is operating efficiently, there will be an extensive array of prospects for growth and enlargement.
The Storming Stage
The title of this segment suggests that contentions and rivalry might emerge during this timeframe. Every team member will probably have feedback or alternative ideas once the preliminary changes have been effected.
As the team head, it’s crucial to determine if debates are stimulating inventiveness and originality, or if they’re impeding advancement. How have you encountered “productive conflict” in the professional environment? It’s crucial to brace for this phase and be receptive to it.
At Works, we take pride in having a varied, multicultural staff of members from different parts of the world. We recognize that diverse viewpoints and cultural heritages are par for the course in any human interaction. Nevertheless, we also believe that constructive discourse is necessary for the growth and advancement of our firm.
It’s advantageous for remote enterprises to have a diversity of viewpoints and cultural heritages to attain exceptional outcomes. It’s crucial to foster open communication during conversations, instead of laying blame on others. Inspire your team to realize that divergent perspectives don’t generate discord, but can rather be employed to produce fresh concepts and enhance productivity.
Establishing a Fresh Standard
To attain the third stage, all internal team problems must be dealt with. Your team mates now perceive you as their leader who can steer them towards success, acknowledging that it’s for the betterment of the enterprise. By reorganising responsibilities and duties, your team is equipped with the means to handle differing viewpoints and foster productive conversations.
Now that your team is entirely united, with roles and tasks explicitly delineated, it’s crucial to institute a standard protocol. This is especially important for dispersed teams, to guarantee efficient communication, enable work tracking, and offer effortless access to requisite resources.
Putting it into Action
The executing stage is a crucial part of a team’s evolution journey. At this juncture, the team is exhibiting splendid outcomes and accomplishing their goals. There is a revitalized sense of excitement, akin to that of the beginning phases. By competently settling any internal conflicts, spirits and self-assurance have been elevated. With this, the team no longer need your perpetual supervision to remain efficient.
At this point, you are all toiling towards the same aim. Your newfound confidence is the wind for your enterprise’s sails.
I extend my congratulations to you for your accomplishments so far. Several enterprises, particularly those in the initial phases of evolution, don’t make it beyond the second stage. You can take pride in the way you have overseen the company. Most importantly, take pride in the fact that you have been able to establish such a resilient team; without them, you wouldn’t have advanced so much.
Adjourning
A decade after the release of his initial manuscript, Tuckman recommended the concluding stage. This is an advantageous time to contemplate on any blunders that have occurred and muse over the progress of the team from the inception of the project.
This ultimate stage illustrates that even the most thriving teams ultimately reach an ending. As staff shifts occur, so do the priorities. This period, often known as the “mourning stage”, happens after the accomplishment of a project and can leave team members feeling perplexed and lacking in motivation to work together towards a shared objective.
This concluding stage must not be misconstrued as a reflection of your team’s leadership capabilities. It’s vital to recognise fresh projects, targets to spark inventiveness, and if feasible, enlist new staff to diversify the team’s working relationship in order to sustain a unified unit.
Can Group Evolution Occur in Virtual Groups?
Indeed, this is relevant irrespective of whether you are a pirate or not. You and your team are accountable for guaranteeing that each of the five stages are efficiently fulfilled. Rather than regarding them as discrete phases to comply with, think of them as part of a continuous process.
No sole regulation can assure triumph in any undertaking, but this is particularly accurate for remote teams and fledgling enterprises. With commitment, adaptability and persistence, you and your team can attain your accomplishments.
Kindly note that we are available to offer assistance throughout the whole process of recruiting and administering a virtual team. If you require further details before founding your new remote enterprise, feel free to contact us without delay.
