Delivering optimal performance for a team is not often easy when members of that team are part of a revolving door policy. Groups don't always respond well to terminal turnover. Plus, it negatively affects how the job gets done when continuity of skills are in a constant state of flux. Of course, shifting team members is a fact of corporate life today. Different stages of a project may require different talents. What's more, scheduling issues may prevent everyone from getting together at the same time. And then there are disruptions due to layoffs or mergers.
The good news is that the instability of teams with members always coming and going doesn't mean workflow has to suffer. For each problem that rears its unattractive head, there is a viable solution.
A common issue is the loss of knowledge. Workers who are on a long-term project accumulate a wealth of information and what's required to achieve success. When a member leaves, the knowledge goes with them. One solution is to ensure that teams have some stable membership. At an enterprise-software company, the technical-support teams lost employees regularly as it was an entry-level position and stepping stone to more specialized jobs. But there were two stable roles. One was a leader who handled administrative functions while the other was a resource member, an expert in the technical aspects of the team's work, who could help newcomers. One great way of bringing some stability to the situation? Use offshore IT outsourcing resources.
Another problem is that effective teams develop a common way of thinking about the job. But that commonality goes out the window when constant turnover takes over. One approach is to make team members' roles as independent as possible, so shared ways of thinking aren't as important. Conversely, one might consider formalizing shared ways of thinking by giving employees regular routines. For example, an engineering team might keep a blog to chart a project's progress along with the roles and responsibilities of those involved.
Lack of commitment is one of the most common occurrences with team members who are with a group for short period of time. That, in turn, may foster resentment of long-term team members who may not want to compensate for their counterparts' lax attitude. A way to circumvent this is to make sure each team member's role has built-in motivation. Nursing teams in hospitals are a perfect example. In the past, each nurse was expected to perform one specialized function for all patients in a unit. The newer model divides up the duties by patient instead of by function with one nurse coordinating and providing all aspects of care for a small group of patients. This contemporary paradigm provides nurses with more responsibility and satisfaction, which is the path to keeping them motivated.
One way that many companies go is by using outside teams to get the work done. Some companies use overseas development teams exclusively. Definitely consider using offshore software development services if you think it will help overcome your employee staffing issues.
Project team members will continue to come and go and there will always be attendant issues. Take heart in knowing that whatever happens, you'll have some strategies of dealing with it so you can keep from going out of your mind.
The good news is that the instability of teams with members always coming and going doesn't mean workflow has to suffer. For each problem that rears its unattractive head, there is a viable solution.
A common issue is the loss of knowledge. Workers who are on a long-term project accumulate a wealth of information and what's required to achieve success. When a member leaves, the knowledge goes with them. One solution is to ensure that teams have some stable membership. At an enterprise-software company, the technical-support teams lost employees regularly as it was an entry-level position and stepping stone to more specialized jobs. But there were two stable roles. One was a leader who handled administrative functions while the other was a resource member, an expert in the technical aspects of the team's work, who could help newcomers. One great way of bringing some stability to the situation? Use offshore IT outsourcing resources.
Another problem is that effective teams develop a common way of thinking about the job. But that commonality goes out the window when constant turnover takes over. One approach is to make team members' roles as independent as possible, so shared ways of thinking aren't as important. Conversely, one might consider formalizing shared ways of thinking by giving employees regular routines. For example, an engineering team might keep a blog to chart a project's progress along with the roles and responsibilities of those involved.
Lack of commitment is one of the most common occurrences with team members who are with a group for short period of time. That, in turn, may foster resentment of long-term team members who may not want to compensate for their counterparts' lax attitude. A way to circumvent this is to make sure each team member's role has built-in motivation. Nursing teams in hospitals are a perfect example. In the past, each nurse was expected to perform one specialized function for all patients in a unit. The newer model divides up the duties by patient instead of by function with one nurse coordinating and providing all aspects of care for a small group of patients. This contemporary paradigm provides nurses with more responsibility and satisfaction, which is the path to keeping them motivated.
One way that many companies go is by using outside teams to get the work done. Some companies use overseas development teams exclusively. Definitely consider using offshore software development services if you think it will help overcome your employee staffing issues.
Project team members will continue to come and go and there will always be attendant issues. Take heart in knowing that whatever happens, you'll have some strategies of dealing with it so you can keep from going out of your mind.
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