Managing a team is hard enough, but managing a team with over 50 or 100 members is a challenge not everyone is willing to take. Imagine all those individuals working together on the same project, with different skills and talents! It takes a lot of hard work, effort, and dedication to properly navigate workflow in such large crowds. So, what can you do to help yourself? Each industry and companies within are specific. You don’t have one-size-fits-all solutions, however, you can implement these techniques that will help you navigate workflow more easily! Unsure how to begin? Check out the tips below.
1. Create smaller teams or subgroups
The easiest way to navigate and manage a huge group of people is by dividing them into smaller teams with specialized tasks. Each team can have a manager or a line manager that will be in charge of the employees and their work. But what happens if something like that isn’t possible?
Indivisible groups and teams exist in a lot of industries. Dividing them into separate teams can hurt the work process and the entire company! What should you do then? Create subgroups with team leaders who will help you navigate and manage groups. You won’t have to talk to 100 individuals but 20 leaders who’ll submit a report when asked.
2. Ensure everyone knows their task
A crucial part of management in both small and huge teams is task distribution. Each member needs to have their tasks clearly assigned and goals realistically set to achieve great results. Since you’re the one navigating the workflow, it’s up to you to ensure everyone knows what their tasks are. How can you do that and how do you know you’ve delegated tasks properly?
This is a tricky part. As you have a lot of employees and issues on your mind, having someone do the assessment of their skills for you is ideal. If that is not possible, ensure you highlight each employee’s strength and assign tasks according to that. Use project management tools to ease the process and keep everything written down for the team.
3. Implement a mentoring program
If you run a large team, chances are you’ll have newcomers or beginners often join your employees. To properly navigate the workflow, create an onboarding program that will include mentorship of younger teammates and new joiners. Keep in mind that not everyone is eligible to be a mentor! So, how can you choose a proper mentor for the newbie?
Besides a person’s qualifications, a mentor is someone who has good social skills and is willing to share their knowledge with others. You might need to encourage teammates to apply for mentoring positions by offering them a bonus or additional day off. Mentoring program will take a lot of work off your back and help new employees get on the job quicker.
4. Build relationships across the team
Huge teams might feel like cold corporations where everything is formal and impersonal. While such an atmosphere can be beneficial in some cases, people are usually more productive in a friendly environment where they can confide in their bosses. So, to achieve that build relationships across the team and strengthen the bond with your employees.
Organize one-on-ones at least twice per year to talk to your employees and see if anything is bothering them. On top of that, consider organizing team buildings or office parties where they will have a chance to get to know each other in a more relaxed atmosphere. That helps with tasks and workflows as well, as they will be more willing to help a colleague out.
5. Keep all members informed
One of the biggest downsides of huge teams is information flow. It doesn’t matter if you have separated them into smaller groups or teams, sometimes information doesn’t flow the way we want them to. Whether someone is intentionally holding back the news and instructions, or they don’t know that someone else isn’t informed, this can be horrible for workflow and the entire team. So, how can you keep everyone informed if some employees can’t sit by their computers all day?
Implement an employee-only platform that can be accessed via phone or any other electronic device. It’s also known as the intranet. This type of tool is suitable for large teams to keep them engaged and informed on the latest happenings. Find out more here about all the benefits for you and your team.
Final thoughts
Navigating and managing huge teams is never an easy task. To become an authority, you need to build a trust bond, which is an enormous challenge considering the number of people in your team! So, try following the tips from above and create a dream team for your company.
Running a large team isn’t easy, but with trust, communication, and boundaries, everything is possible!