Assessing Management Team Development Needs Is Crucial for the Entire Organization

 

Management Team Development Needs

The composition and functioning of an executive or management team (MT) directly influence the success of organizations. This influence can be positive or negative. After all, important decisions are naturally made at this team and organizational level. And this is where the impact on the entire organization begins. By first assessing the development needs of MT members through short online tests, they can receive targeted learning support. And as recent research from Harvard shows, even a small learning intervention can actually make a big difference.

Essential, yet underestimated

“As the executive team fares, so does the organization,” goes an old organizational adage. This speaks volumes about the importance of having the right composition for this team-especially now that more and more is expected of management, including in the area of modern leadership. In addition to the great importance of team development for the entire organization-now a top priority at many organizations-the appreciation for the value of team development at the “top” is also growing. And yet, this is still regularly overlooked with relative ease. At the root of this lies a deceptive pitfall: the assumption that simply bringing together a good group of managers automatically results in a well-functioning management team. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Many international studies show that management teams too often consist of people who possess only some of the required personal qualities (and often the same ones). And that’s not even mentioning the level of collaboration that team members establish with one another. And that, too, has a direct impact on the entire organization.

Management or TEAM?

When there is a group of “good leaders for each business unit,” but their collective performance falls short, this can lead to slow decision-making, “endless discussions,” energy “draining away” during meetings, or, for example, poor collaboration in execution. The challenge, therefore, is to ensure a true management TEAM. This begins even before the actual team is formed. After all, what should the team look like? What qualities and competencies are needed? These are important considerations that you can address in a targeted manner, for example, following brief online assessments. And once the team has been formed, ongoing maintenance and development are also necessary. Just as the organization continues to evolve, so do the demands placed on management team members. Common pitfalls include members not viewing their team role as a formal position or failing to develop (quickly) enough, even when organizational changes demand it. In practice, it often happens that management team members remain primarily focused on the division or department they lead. The MT is then seen as something that’s “on top of” their other responsibilities. Or, once at the top, members may invest less in their own development. Yet it is precisely at this stage that additional skills are needed compared to their previous role. And especially during periods of growth or organizational change, it is important to continue developing leadership competencies.

Where do you start with development?

But where do you start when it comes to maintaining and developing an MT? Team development always proceeds in phases. A goal-oriented approach first requires an understanding of the full range of desired qualities. This applies to personal qualities as well as the extent to which team members complement one another. Next, you can use short online assessments for each team member to identify which qualities are already present and which could be further developed. A brief 15-minute assessment can often go a long way toward boosting self-awareness and self-insight in this area. This allows you to select the right development tools in a targeted manner-such as training, e-learning courses, or coaching.

Measuring and Testing in Practice

Fortunately, using team development and personal development in a targeted way is now easily accessible thanks to the various online tests and assessments available. Take Hrmforce Analytics, for example, which provides organizations with detailed insights into the talents, pitfalls, and performance of employees or teams. To do this, it integrates data from multiple sources and channels. With this growing insight, you can, for example, identify success factors and competencies, monitor the development of teams or team members, and increase their self-awareness. In addition to this comprehensive analysis tool, you can also use very short tests to measure specific traits or competencies. Take, for example, the Communication Styles test, which is widely used in team development. After an assessment lasting about 15 minutes, it immediately becomes clear which communication style(s) a participant prefers (out of a total of 8 communication styles). You can also do this with, for example, the Conflict Styles Test, which analyzes individual behavior in conflict situations and provides insight into the extent to which certain conflict styles are valuable. This test also takes a participant about 15 minutes to complete. And, of course, there are many other short or more comprehensive test formats available.

Goal-Oriented Growth

After the assessment, development goals-depending on the results-may focus on collaboration, communication, leadership skills, or, for example, personal leadership. In addition to increasing self-awareness, the results can also provide a better understanding of the entire management team or of other colleagues. After all, what is that other management team member’s natural leadership style? And which of their qualities can you effectively leverage in your collaboration? And who would be the best person to bounce ideas off of regarding that new, challenging project, to complement your own strengths? These can be extremely valuable questions and insights.

New Insights for Team Development

Insights into team performance-including at the executive team level-are also growing. In scientific research on team performance based on “serious gaming” using an escape room (by Friesland Boeit), team performance was examined at the competency level, with a strong focus on leadership. “In today’s rapidly changing world and economy, leadership and collaboration are currently crucial areas of focus,” says leadership expert Jelle Dijkstra (lecturer in Personal Leadership & Innovation at NHL University of Applied Sciences), who was involved in the study. But these often still turn out to be the weak points. “Organizations are going to ‘work differently’ and ‘collaborate differently,’ but how exactly? That question often remains unanswered.” And to measure is to know. This provides tools for a targeted and efficient approach. Another notable conclusion from years of research in the escape room is that the most successful teams have two leaders: a dominant leader and a social leader. “They must be able to take turns and switch flexibly between different leadership styles, depending on their team, the environment, and the task,” says Dijkstra.

Small interventions: big impact

Another interesting finding is that small (targeted) interventions for managers can make a big difference. For example, even a short training session can help them make significant strides, as confirmed by recent research from Harvard Business School. This specific study focused primarily on communication styles and examined how managers can improve them to foster high-quality collaboration. The researchers found that just five minutes of training in receptive communication techniques can already have a significant effect. There is often much to be gained in this area. “Leaders tend to dominate conversations: they don’t listen well and shut out others’ ideas,” says researcher Francesca Gino (Professor of Business Administration). “As a result, the other members of the team are often too anxious or simply too bored and distant to actively contribute their own ideas.” She also outlines five key elements for fostering greater receptiveness. Of course, whether this theme is actually relevant to a specific executive or management team must first be determined through assessments. But let the conclusion of this Harvard study serve as encouragement to start by testing it as a starting point for the development of a management team. Once you know where the major needs lie, self-awareness and a little developmental support are enough to take significant steps forward for the entire organization.