At some point in time, all businesses start from small teams. Sooner or later a desired progress arrives – a growing team is a clear sign – and it inevitably brings change. No matter how we welcome success, if it happens too fast, there may be not enough time to adapt and restructure processes within your company swiftly. Let’s explore the main points on how to manage a rapidly growing team.
1. Deliver Business Vision to New Team Members
Only if you take the trouble of talking to people and make sure they get what you are saying, you will guarantee productive teamwork. The best investments are in people, professionals agree. It is crucial to allow new-players have a clear understanding of the current tasks and at the same time be fully aware of the big picture and the future of the company. Thus you will boost their motivation and develop a sense of shared responsibility and credit for further success.
2. Be Understanding and Supportive of New Employees
Starting a new job is always stressful. It is a challenge for new employees as they have to prove their skills and meet employer’s expectations. Besides they find themselves in a completely new environment they need to adapt to and look for ways to collaborate with new co-workers effectively – there is a lot to take in.
If your team is growing fast, you need to make sure that everyone is apt for the position and help them disclose their true abilities and potential even at the initial stages of work. Aim at a win-win situation when your new employees understand their duties and tasks, and your business is not suffering. Provide new employees with a detailed job description and scope of work, define their role in the team and communicate your expectations. This will prevent misunderstandings and professional lapses in the future. Also, when newcomers have a clear vision of their role, they will be more confident with their first steps on the job and will integrate better with the rest of the team.
3. Implement Convenient Tools for Management and Communication
Implement convenient tools for management and communication. When you have to manage more than two employees you cannot fully control their work, know what they are doing and which results they have. That is why management and communication tools are essential. actiTIME, for example, allows to view time spent on projects and tasks, so you can make informed decisions and manage the work of much bigger teams than you are used to. Besides, it solves the problem with accountancy and planning, as you can adjust this software tool to your needs. So, don’t panic, let more people on board!
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4. Hold Regular Meetings and Discuss Your Progress
Everybody hates meetings, however, they are mandatory for growing teams in particular. Co-workers have to be aware of who is doing what in the team, to know each others deadlines and feel they are integral parts of one team. Have regular daily meetings or even several times a day meetings with different collaborative teams. Try to make them as productive as possible. They will continue to serve as a binding factor or your fast growing team even when you have to order more than two pizzas.
5. Plan and Assess Your Resources Realistically
It is crucial for business success to be one step ahead and start having interviews before the personnel gap occurs. It takes time and effort to find the right people that will make a great team. Think beyond resumes and ask candidates to do something instead of routinely going through the list of skills they have. Use trial periods to make sure you are going to hire the right people, observe how they behave in non-interview format, at lunch, for example. You need to make sure they’ll fit into the corporate culture. Select individuals, but keep the whole team in mind.
Be Ready to Grow
To sum up, all startups and small businesses have to be prepared for significant team growth that may come out of the blue and will mark a new chapter in their business. Most of this growth is not easy to forecast and manage, however, a number of sensible steps discussed above will provide a robust solution to the problem.
