Building an autonomous team can be a delicate balance. It’s clear that, while there is many benefits to this way of work, you don’t want to be responsible for discouraging teamwork. Individuals need to have the understanding that while being expected to work without direct supervision and set their own tasks, they must be willing to pitch in and help when it is required of them.
What is an autonomous team?
An autonomous work group is a team within a business that manages its work independently and without direct supervision of middle management. Usually, it is coupled with ’employee empowerment’, it involves giving the individual responsibility and autonomy to mange their own tasks, schedule, prioritise, and goal plan their own day-to-day according to their preference. Think of it as the opposite of micro-management. Some roles may not suit this way of managing – for example, we shouldn’t be giving an apprentice the autonomy to do a full balayage on a long-standing customer without supervision.
Just quickly, lets go over some of the benefits of an autonomous team:
Easy to manage: A team functioning of their own accord is easier and less time-consuming to manage. Dustin Jundt argues that the greater the freedom given to a team, the higher the level of creativity, innovation, and performance.
Better results: Did you know that this very way of managing contributed to the invention of the post-it note? A scientist from 3M came up with the idea during the companies ‘15% time’. An opportunity given to employees to dream up ideas that day-to-day workplace structure may not regale. This is an excellent example of how allowing individuals to work autonomously can positively impact them, and your business.
Free up time: Autonomous working does mean better results, improved job satisfaction, and employee engagement. often leading to better retention, lower absence rates, and easier talent attraction. However, it also means that, by having a individually self-sufficient workforce, you are able to free up time for yourself and your salon manager, to come up with more business building ideas.
Here’s some ideas to boost your team’s autonomy, thanks to Forbes:
Delegate & Lead:
Delegation can be a tough pill to swallow for many leaders – naturally, the leaders are the people driven by passion to see their business succeed and with this comes a steadfast grip on the company reigns. Being a boss doesn’t mean you have to think, dream, and decision make for every corner of your business and the individual team members. Delegate roles to team members whose talents reflect the job you want done and then provide the results they need and be available to answer the questions they may have.
Make your goals and assignments clear – it will not work if the individual is unclear on your goal and that will evidently lead to the job falling back into your own lap. When you delegate, you give your team the chance to invest in themselves and take ownership over the process and outcomes.
Pick & Mix (not):
You cannot choose who you wish to work autonomously, the whole team must be included for it to work effectively, including members who rely on direction, rather than individual thought. They will not be working in a vacuum; collaboration is the most important aspect. Delegation of authority does not mean one person in charge of one project, and everyone working on it. It means there needs to be a “delegated leader” who is responsible for the timeline and the key factors. You will then oversee the timelines provided, as opposed to the project.
This process sees the emergence of leaders at every level, where peer-to-peer learning is created to foster a strong, organic team dynamic.
Trust & Reciprocation:
You MUST trust your team’s ability to make good decisions when building an autonomous team. Sequentially, your team must trust your ability to make decisions that lead to strong results. This is critical for productivity, collaboration, innovation, and conflict resolution.
Autonomy doesn’t mean to stand by and watch the team self-destruct. You should always be available for any questions and concerns, to provide mentorship for the key leader and suggest action for when you see a potential problem.However, you must also be able to identify the difference between mentorship and taking over. This will infer that you have lost the trust in the team. Nudge them in the right direction to course correct, without steering the ship for them.
You’re the captain, not the helmsman.
An example of where autonomy can begin: Creating a recruitment video.
You are the salon owner and recognise the need to make an attractive video of your salon (and the team) that can entice potential interest.
Delegate – You should choose an individual that has the underlying talent to achieve this. Schedule a meeting to infer exactly what it is you need, and any concept thoughts you have.
Trust – Let your chosen ‘key leader’ plan and onboard the team. It is their responsibility to plan logistics, choose what is needed from the team and create a detailed pitch with a timeline.
Handover – They key leader will meet with you to present the exact pitch they plan to go ahead on and create a timeline for completion.
Rally – The key leader should rally them team and let them know everyone should proceed.
Oversee – This is the heaviest lifting you need to do. Make sure that the timeline is being adhered to and nudge the key leader to identify any weak spots and course correct. Do not chase the team yourself!
Building an independent, yet collaborative, team is difficult. Your business is your baby, it will be hard at first to give up control. However, it is important to remember all the positive this will bring to you, your your team, mental wellness, and time.
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