A self-managed team is a group that takes collective responsibility for managing their work independently without constant manager oversight. Team members have the autonomy to make decisions, coordinate tasks, and pursue goals themselves, cultivating a sense of ownership and shared accountability. Also known as self-directing or self-organizing teams, they embody employee empowerment over top-down control.

What are the key characteristics of self-managed teams?

Self-managed teams have several key characteristics that differentiate them from traditional hierarchical teams:

• Empowerment – Team members have autonomy and discretion to determine how work gets done with minimal supervision.
• Shared leadership – Rather than a formally appointed leader, leadership roles may rotate between team members, or leadership is shared.
• Self-organization – The team organizes itself organically based on expertise, interest, and priorities rather than having roles pre-determined.
• Cross-functionality – Self-managed teams often bring together a cross-functional group with diverse skills to achieve outcomes.
• Accountability – The team shares collective accountability for results, successes, and failures.
• Continuous learning – Teams focus on identifying skills gaps and developing capabilities to continuously improve.
• Open communication – Information, feedback, and ideas are shared transparently among the team.
• Flat structure – Hierarchy and top-down control mechanisms are minimized in favor of flexibility.
• Metrics-driven – Team goals and metrics guide decisions and priorities more than management directives.
• Agility – The team can quickly adapt plans and reallocate resources as circumstances evolve.

What are some common myths about self-managed teams?

Some common misconceptions about self-managed teams include:

• They have no leaders – In fact, leadership still exists, but in a shared team capacity rather than a traditional vertical structure.
• They lack accountability – Accountability is shared across the team and woven into peer relationships dynamically.
• They reduce management jobs – Managers shift from controlling to coaching but still provide important support.
• They are completely autonomous – External alignment and input from leaders is still needed at times.
• Everything is consensus-driven – Teams aim for consensus but don’t necessarily require unanimous agreements.
• Conflicts never happen – Disagreements still occur but are resolved collaboratively.
• No structure exists – Informal roles still evolve and some process is required for coordination.
• Anyone can be on a self-managed team – Not everyone has the maturity and discipline to work this way.
• They stifle individual growth – Actually, the expanded responsibilities accelerate professional development.
• Productivity suffers – Well-implemented self-direction typically increases engagement and productivity.

What are some key benefits of self-managed teams?

Benefits that organizations can gain through self-managed teams include:

• Increased agility to respond quickly to changing conditions
• Higher engagement as team members feel empowered
• Enhanced innovation with more ideas from diverse perspectives
• Improved productivity from greater autonomy and ownership
• Increased development of leadership skills across the team
• Deeper cross-training and capabilities across functions
• Higher retention rates from greater engagement and empowerment
• Closer connection to customers and stakeholders
• Better identification of process improvement opportunities
• Higher quality output from shared accountability
• Reduced costs from less bureaucratic overhead
• Increased problem-solving skills within the team
• Improved collaboration from cross-functional interactions
• More flexibility to reallocate resources as needed

What are some key challenges of self-managed teams?

Some potential pitfalls to be aware of with self-managed teams:

• Lack of role clarity and coordination
• Difficulty reaching alignment with unclear decision-making
• Poor collaboration without trust and communication
• Insular perspective without sufficient external input
• Inconsistent performance with limited oversight
• Individualistic focus rather than a collective mindset
• Uneven workloads if responsibilities aren’t shared
• Difficulty maintaining self-discipline and productivity
• Interpersonal conflicts without constructive resolution
• Imbalanced skillsets if the team lacks diversity
• Inadequate leadership capability for a shared leadership model
• Minimal support from leaders resistant to empowerment
• Difficulty measuring nebulous team accomplishments
• Risk of overwork burnout from self-imposed pressure
• Insufficient technical expertise if teams are too autonomous

How does the role of leadership change with self-managed teams?

With self-managed teams, the role of leadership shifts from traditional hierarchical management to:

• Vision setters – Establish overall vision and direction for the team.
• Culture builders – Instill a culture of trust, transparency, and accountability.
• Coaches – Provide feedback and developmental support to team and members.
• Facilitators – Help resolve conflicts and roadblocks.
• Problem solvers – Work collaboratively with the team to solve shared problems.
• Support providers – Secure resources, remove barriers, and enable team success.
• Mentors – Share knowledge and advise team members to grow capabilities.
• Communicators – Ensure alignment and consistency with broader organizational objectives.
• Influencers – Champion and role model self-management practices.
• Resource allocators – Help teams secure expertise, tools, and budgets they need.
• Evaluators – Provide ongoing performance feedback and coaching.

What training is important for self-managed teams?

Critical training topics to support self-managed teams include:

• Shared leadership skills
• Effective decision-making
• Productivity and time management
• Goal-setting and performance metrics
• Project management fundamentals
• Budgeting and financial management
• Conflict resolution techniques
• Meeting facilitation skills
• Collaboration and team building
• Problem-solving and root-cause analysis
• Communication and active listening
• Critical thinking and analytical skills
• Change management
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Ongoing coaching is also essential to reinforce skills. Training needs may evolve over the team’s life cycle.

How are decisions made on a self-managed team?

Self-managed teams utilize various collaborative decision-making approaches, including:

• Consensus – Group discusses options and decides on one with widespread agreement.
• Voting – Take a vote on alternatives and go with majority rule.
• Multivoting – Narrow options through multiple rounds of voting.
• Delegation – Assign a sub-team or member to make decision based on expertise.
• Rotating authority – Each member takes turn making day-to-day decisions.
• Holacracy – Use structured governance meetings to distribute authority.
• Unanimity – Require all members to fully support a decision before moving forward.
• Integrative consensus – Incorporate insights from all perspectives into an integrative decision.
• Consultative – One member makes the final call but consults the team extensively.
• External input – Seek advice from outside the team as needed to inform choices.
• Sociocracy – Teams elect members to connect circles making relevant decisions.

What techniques can facilitate effective self-managed team meetings?

Techniques for maximizing the effectiveness of self-managed team meetings include:

• Provide a clear agenda and objectives in advance
• Rotate facilitation role between members
• Timebox discussions to keep on track
• Establish shared norms and ground rules
• Begin with a check-in to build psychological safety
• Actively listen without interrupting
• Balance airtime between introverts and extroverts
• Clarify decisions and actions before closing
• Park non-critical discussions for later
• Take visual notes to capture key discussion points
• Summarize progress and next steps at the end
• Evaluate what worked well and areas to improve after each meeting
• Check-in on action items from previous meetings
• Address any “elephants in the room” upfront
• Discuss obstacles and ways a team can help resolve them
• Leave time for informal relationship building

What techniques can build trust in a self-managed team?

Building trust in self-managed teams might involve:

• Scheduling regular informal social interactions
• Instituting camaraderie-building rituals like virtual coffee breaks
• Conducting offsite retreats focused on relationships and team building
• Participating in job shadowing and cross-training across roles
• Establishing peer-based mentoring and coaching partnerships
• Rotating leadership responsibilities frequently to share power
• Co-locating teams physically to enable informal interactions
• Providing mechanisms for open feedback and pulse checks
• Celebrating mistakes as learning opportunities rather than criticism
• Ensuring all voices are heard before big decisions are made
• Prioritizing empathy, vulnerability, and compassion in interactions
• Defining shared norms and ground rules for handling conflict
• Removing arbitrary policies that signal mistrust
• Making information open and transparent to all team members
• Volunteering for activities outside core roles to support team
• Following through reliably on commitments to one another

How should self-managed teams track performance?

Self-managed teams can track performance through:

• Team goals – Establish shared outcome-based team goals to provide direction and gauge progress. Make sure these align to organizational goals.
• Employee feedback – Gather regular feedback from team members to assess engagement, morale, and effectiveness of practices.
• Peer feedback – Team members can provide ongoing feedback to one another to improve individual and team performance.
• Customer feedback – Incorporate input from customers, clients, and stakeholders that benefit from the team’s work.
• Manager coaching – Track development and performance through regular one-on-one coaching conversations.
• Team retrospectives – Hold periodic retrospectives to identify what’s working well and opportunities.
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) – Select meaningful KPIs that indicate how well the team is delivering value.
• Team maturity assessments – Periodically evaluate the team’s maturity across dimensions like trust, capabilities, alignment.
• Skills audits – Inventory strengths and development areas to guide skills building.
• Team health checks – Quick weekly polls to monitor team cohesion, trust, engagement, inclusion, etc.

Article Summary

Section	Key Points
Characteristics	Empowerment, shared leadership, self-organization, cross-functional, accountability, continuous learning, open communication, flat structure, metrics-driven, agility
Myths	No leaders, lack accountability, reduce management jobs, completely autonomous, everything consensus-driven, no conflicts, no structure, anyone can join, stifle growth, hurt productivity
Benefits	Agility, engagement, innovation, productivity, leadership development, capabilities, retention, customer connection, improvements, quality, cost reduction, problem-solving, flexibility
Challenges	Role confusion, unclear decisions, poor collaboration, insular perspectives, inconsistent performance, individualistic focus, uneven workloads, lack of discipline, conflicts, imbalanced skills, inadequate leadership, minimal support, difficulty measuring, overwork, insufficient expertise
Leadership Role	Vision setters, culture builders, coaches, facilitators, problem solvers, support providers, mentors, communicators, influencers, resource allocators, evaluators
Training	Shared leadership, decision-making, productivity, goal-setting, project management, budgeting, conflict resolution, meeting facilitation, collaboration, problem-solving, communication, thinking, change management, diversity
Decision Making	Consensus, voting, multivoting, delegation, rotating authority, holacracy, unanimity, integrative consensus, consultative, external input, sociocracy
Effective Meetings	Clear agenda, rotate facilitation, timebox discussions, establish norms, check-ins, active listening, balanced airtime, clarify decisions, park discussions, take visual notes, summarize, evaluate, review action items, address elephants, discuss obstacles
Building Trust	Social interactions, team building, cross-training, mentoring, rotating leadership, feedback mechanisms, celebrating mistakes, inclusive decisions, empathy, defined norms, remove arbitrary policies, share information, reliability
Performance Tracking	Goals, employee feedback, peer feedback, customer feedback, manager coaching, retrospectives, KPIs, maturity assessments, skills audits, health checks

Are self-managing teams effective or just causing confusion without clear leadership?

Self-managing teams can be effective with the right approach. Providing clear goals, establishing accountability, and encouraging open communication are essential tips for self-managing teams. With a strong foundation, these teams can thrive and deliver exceptional results. Without proper guidance, they may lead to confusion and ineffectiveness.

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