5 Steps to Developing Role Clarity Within Teams

Team Work…

Working on teams can be daunting and/or rewarding. We all have memories of being in the 3 rd grade, being assigned to build a roller-coaster, or the 4th grade mission (if you live in California). You remember having so many ideas, but being shut down by the self-proclaimed bossy cow (aka group leader). You felt like your ideas were not appreciated, and you felt dejected and shut down (at least I did).  OR You decided your group members were incompetent and took on the whole by yourself. 

Schools know teamwork is important, but unfortunately, they aren’t trained in organizational or systems psychology. They assign a group project, and ask students to figure it out.

It’s no wonder why the same is being done in organizations. After all, that’s the way that we learned to work on teams. The first thing I want to talk about is ROLE CLARITY on teams.

There is enough to write a book on the topic of role clarity, but that won’t help you solve the problems you are having NOW on teams.  In this post, I want to suggest a 5 step process to role clarity that should be done at the start of a project or with the induction of any new team members.

Step 1:

Identify the role.

Although there is a project manager, it does not necessarily mean that they are the most important member of the team, and therefore a boss.  In fact, power hierarchies can be established at the formation of the team and can be independent of pay structures.  I have been on many teams where the support staff is the most powerful and revered member of the team despite their pay gap.

For the sake of this article, we are going to look at this process through the eyes of the Project Manager. What is the role of the project manager? Generally, their major role is that of a facilitator. They are ensuring deadlines are being met, they are pushing the group forward when they get stuck, and they are making reports to those above them. You want to identify and describe what they do for YOUR TEAM and YOUR ORGANIZATION.

So, the PM aka Facilitator’s role has now been established. You want to identify each and every role that is on the team, and then proceed to step 2.

Step 2:

Identify expectations.

This is a loaded step, that is really parts A and B (step 3).

Part A is the expectations of the Program Manager for the group. As the identified facilitator, they need to have certain things be done by the team to ensure their job runs smoothly. A tentative date for major parts of the project should be identified, and an overall overview mapped out. This can be done by the PM and then brought back to the team. They need to outline how updates will be given, when they will be given, and what kind of information is necessary in those updates. The PM should clearly set dates for the next meeting, a time frame for the following meeting, and the expectations of documents and work that should be done prior to the meeting.

Again, this step is repeated for all members of the team.  Each member states what they need, and when they need it by tentatively.

Step 3:

Identify expectations of team.

Part B is the expectations that each member holds in regards to themselves. This part of the process opens a new level of understanding the people on your team.  Get to know how they work, when they work, and what they need to thrive.

This includes things about themselves, insights into their work process, and how they work best. I.e. An Analyst may request that the PM sends them reminder emails for documentation. Another may say that they work well under pressure, and that although it looks like they are not doing anything- the project will get done with excellent quality. All while another analyst may talk about their schedule, when they do things best, and the need to have frequent team meetings.

At this point the team would devise a system that works well for both the PM and the team. If you have the sweet blessing to enjoy supportive staff- they should be involved in this process and documenting the minutes during meetings that can be sent out in whatever way the team has identified works best for them.

You might have realized that when using this process- NO TEAM will look the same. It is individualized.  It values each player. It respects the hierarchy without the need for micro-managing.

Step 4:

Identify tasks

What needs to be done and by when. Tasks need to be clearly delivered at this time with a date for completion, and a clear plan on how it will be completed based on the information gathered at previous points in this process. (I find it best to only talk about tasks that need to be done towards the project goal that need to be completed prior to the next meeting.

I.e. Project Completion is 6 months from now. In 4-6 weeks is the next meeting to look at progress and troubleshoot/shift focus will happen).  At the conclusion of the plan creation, and based on the meeting minutes- an email or task sheet should be sent out so that team members all know what they are responsible for over the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Personally, I like for my team members to respond to that email with a statement of understanding.  That is a paragraph summarizing what they understand the main goal to be, and the tasks that will complete that goal.  It builds mutual understanding and decreases chances of miscommunication.  I also afford my team the same and send summarizes that reframe my tasks oriented towards the understood goal.

Step 5:

Identify problem solving strategy.

There is no process that goes without it’s bumps. Upon creation of the team, the team should discuss how problems and troubleshooting processes are to be utilized in order to avoid punitive and stressful discipline strategies that don’t work (and often make things worse).

A future blog on problem solving will outline different strategies, and another on do’s and don’ts of problem solving.  Role clarity could be a book, and Problem Solving could have 5 volumes written on it.

In Conclusion:

This process can be done in 1 day/meeting or can be broken up over the first week of a team being created. The implementation of the process is less important than the process itself. If you have a team with multiple disciplines, it is important to do this process for each different type of role. For example, the PM, a data analyst, a marketing strategist, and tech support would all need to have their roles clearly identified using this same process or an adaptation of the process.

The need for clearly identified roles and expectations is just 1 piece of successful teams that lead to more successful projects and innovation. Many times, the hustle and bustle of daily activities puts role clarification on the back-burner- leading to confusion, overwhelm, and staff walking around aimlessly, and bosses micro managing. By clearly identifying roles and expectations, transparency begins. Where there is transparency, there is more safety and more communication. It is an integral building block to successful teams. Whether you are a manager, director, program manager, or a data analyst- role clarification can help your teams do better work.

Bio

Kristin Martinez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in working with people, especially women and teens, who have had childhood trauma. She is dedicated to helping people overcome their histories so that they can reach and exceed the goals they set for themselves. She is a published author and has worked in the mental health field for over 10 years. Kristin has experience working in the non-profit, government, and private sectors and has a secondary passion for infusing organizations with psychological concepts and interventions that help productivity and company morale.

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