\u201cIt finally feels like we are hitting our stride, within the team and across the organization.\u201d This was the opening part of the conversation with the Senior VP of R&D for a major scientific organization. The executive had a difficult start in his new role, eighteen months earlier. The R&D team had been of vital importance in the rapid growth of the organization during the previous five years, which led to some large egos, super-hero approaches to project work, and a belief that any organization failure was the result of poor performance or talent in the other parts of the organization\u2014never anything to do with shortcomings in the R&D team. When the new executive indicated he wanted to shift to a teams-based culture within R&D and embrace a teams-of-teams approach by actively collaborating with the Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Quality, and Manufacturing departments, several key players felt they were losing their elite status and decided to leave the organization. Rather than give in to the short-term pain of these departures, the executive leaned into the long-range benefits of a team-based culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon after the unexpected exits, customer complaints and product returns began to pour in related to a newly released product that was not living up to expectations. In the past, the organization would have looked to a superhero scientist who could rapidly find an answer for resolving the issue. Rather than fall back on the past, the R&D executive held true to his belief in the power of teams. He assembled teams of teams\u2014teams who represented cross-functional departments\u2014to address the scientific, commercial, and operational aspects of resolving the issue. While continuing to fill orders and address customer concerns, the teams of teams resolved the scientific, quality, and manufacturing difficulties in record time. The result\u2014an organization win\u2014a better overall product, better internal systems for the future, and stronger customer relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A teams of teams culture starts with the realization that seldom is anything significant accomplished alone. Even as the importance of teams increases in organizations, there is still a tendency to highlight the star\u2014that one individual who seemingly goes it alone and achieves their own success or to highlight the special group that jumps in to resolve an important issue. But, the best leaders recognize that success is created by valuing a \u201cwe\u201d is greater than \u201cme\u201d environment that rewards team behaviors more than individual behaviors. Three keys to elevating the teaming culture in your organization are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While critical team players may chart the course for navigating difficult challenges, it is teams of teams that execute those plans to deliver critical results for customers. Build and sustain a commitment to a teams of teams culture in your organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contact Good Leadership today to learn more about the Team Momentum Survey\u2014a foundational tool in building and sustaining a teams of teams culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIt finally feels like we are hitting our stride, within the team and across the organization.\u201d This was the opening part of the conversation with the Senior VP of R&D for a major scientific organization. The executive had a difficult start in his new role, eighteen months earlier. The R&D team had been of vital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":29191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n