Need Your Team to be More Innovative? Ask Yogesh Sood
Dear Yogesh,
I have recently joined a global organization and was appointed to lead a team of ten people. We work as a product development team. My team is great; dedicated, smart, and a real problem solver.
All the team members are good at what they do and have a knack for things that lie in their kitty. Their former manager was a person who believed in rigid processes and stringent policies while working. I replaced him because his team was not able to perform as expected under his leadership.
I like the processes that my team follows and love the fact that the whole team runs like a well-oiled machine. However, a few of my tasks involves getting things done that require innovation and experimentation. How can I get my people to perform in a way where that bring out their bright sides? The team was initially hired on the basis of their creative thinking however, the burden to perform in a process has been too much. How can I get my people to get their spark back?
Regards,
Ramesh
Dear Ramesh,
My first thought after reading your question is that it is easier to help people loosen up rather than ask them to behave in a certain order. But you will be able to find it out after applying a few practices and see if it works or not. It seems like the former manager used fear to get things done. Therefore, my first suggestion is to help your team feel that they are safe.
As the usage of fear to instigate compliance and order left people worried about whether they are doing a good job or not, they spent years trying to figure out how to make their last boss happy and therefore retain their jobs. Now you are trying to suggest a new idea and make them beak the process they’ve been following for a long time. This will create fear and make them doubt themselves. So don’t forget to convey to them that the transition will be chaotic, you are committed to helping, and no one is at risk. And don’t forget to repeat this, as it takes a while for people to develop new mindsets and habits.
I would suggest that you start by providing the right context. Explain where the team derailed and what is expected to get back on track. You can start by telling the simple truths and avoid badmouthing the former manager. Just state the facts and clarify your mandate.
After you have set the expectations right, your next step is to ask them for their opinion and what they think works best for them. Managing the creativity and innovation part can be done smoothly if you keep some of the old methods in place. Take some time to have one-on-one meetings with each member of the team to know where everyone’s strengths lie and how you can put that to work. You will be able to use your insights to put small groups together to work on projects.
- Put forth clear objectives for the group;
- Make sure the group's motivation is clear;
- Convey how the group's motivation is lined up with the association's vision, values, and procedures
- Track progress
You could consider working with the team to make a team plan of action. This is characterized as a bunch of agreements, created through a cooperative collaboration, that gives a structure to what the group needs to achieve and how the group will cooperate to accomplish results.
Dealing with a team requires you to track down their direction back to who they were before. Assuming it seems like a lot to do the entire schedule, perhaps pick several sections to deal with. Or then again do the entire program throughout a more extended timeframe. It can help and will get the wheels turning!
Be perfectly clear about how the expectations have changed. Keep the stuff that works. Help your teammates reconnect with themselves.
It is a lot and it seems like a lot when you are set in this direction. But your job is to know the best practices and keep following them.
Regards,
Yogesh Sood
The above is an adaptation of a blog written by Madeleine Homan Blanchard on FEBRUARY 12, 2022