Self Managed Teams – Succeeding without a Leader

Self Managed Teams

The concept of self-managed teams has been around for quite some time. They aren’t a bit topic of conversation in the mainstream organizational world, but conversations about them have been taking place at the edges of more conventional conversations for a while. Part of the increased interest in self managed teams has been driven by therelative success of Frederic Laloux’s fairly alternative book, “Teal Organizations“.

Proponents of this work argue that self-managed teams who operate without a traditional hierarchical leader yield great benefits including imrovements to autonomy, accountability, and collaborative decision-making, resulting in better performance and increased wellbeing for team-members. Several case studies, including probably the most famous one of Buurtzorg (Dutch healthcare – link to details of their model), provide evidence for the benefits that can be achieved.

What are self managed teams like?

Self managed teams are usual groups of people with a range of skills and the potential to be self-sufficient, who come together to arrange themselves without a traditionally hierarchical leader to achieve the team’s objectives.

Individuals in these teams tend to be able to wear a few ‘hats’ at the same time, being versed in the core services or products being delivered by the organization and having responsibility for some of the central-functions aspect of the work. This dual perspective can improve efficiency and relevance of task completion in both domains.

In addition, the lack of a central hierarchical leader typically results in wider and more open communication within the team, which can improve dynamism, problem solving and responsiveness within the team, as well as reducing bureaucracy. One of the most significant benefits celebrated by advocates of self managed teams is enhanced employee engagement and motivation.

When team members have control over their work processes and decisions, they are more likely to be invested in the team’s success. This autonomy can lead to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates. Moreover, the shared responsibility ensures that all members are accountable for the team’s performance, which can foster a culture of trust and mutual support.

Is it all plain sailing?

No, it isn’t always plain sailing. Sometimes the lack of a leader can cause all kinds of problems, particularly when it comes to decision making, managing egos and resolving conflicts.

Some things can be done to overcome these challenges, including defining and using clear processes to make decisions and communicate, as well as ensuring role clarity is defined and agreed. An increased volume of communication may also be required to ensure people feel connected and informed, when no leader is present.

We don’t have too much more to share on this. You might enjoy Laloux’s book, “Teal Organizations” (though you might need some salt to accompany it). You might also enjoy our podcast on holocracy, which is lined to below.

We really don’t know what we think about this. Some of the case studies and evidence do appear to support the benefits of self managed teams, particularly in come contexts.

There are some great success stories our there, and we can fully envisage this being highly successful in the right place. That said, it also often appears to be the case that a change in ownership or “leadership” in a self managed team (or wider organization) can result in the shift back towards a more traditional management structure.

It also seems to be clear that this approach isn’t right for all industries or sectors, nor is it right for all types of people. Some types of organizations (e.g. military) need a lot of hierarchy, at least at the overall level. Similarly, some people (e.g. people perhaps lacking in practive behaviours), may require more of a hierarchy to support and enable their growth, development, delivery and, perhaps ultimately, their work satisfaction as well.

Our gut feeling is that this approach only really works for certain people in certain roles in certain orgs, and even then in certain constellations.

We also sort of wonder if in these orgs, the culture that exists that lets self-managed teams succeed, is itself being shaped by some social leaders in the organization who give permission to these behaviours and provide some non-traditionally hierarchical leadership behind the scenes.

This is based on our own reading and research, conversations in our podcasts and Laloux’s book and associated materials, as referenced within the post.

Laloux, F. (2014). “Reinventing organizations: A guide to creating organizations inspired by the next stage of human consciousness“. Nelson Parker.

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