Setting Up Teams for Success: Development of a Value Proposition
Introduction
As we gradually emerge from the unprecedented challenges and disruptions post COVID-19, leaders are considering how best to reconnect their teams. Perhaps you are a new-to-role leader and/or have new members who started during the pandemic, who until recently, only connected through MS Teams.
Some of your team members might appreciate refreshed clarity about their team purpose, service offerings and how to more effectively work alongside each other, their customers and stakeholders, thus creating a new or refreshed team culture.
In this article, we’ll explore this further and delve into the concept of the development of a value proposition, including team norms, to foster productivity and a more cohesive team culture.
What is a value proposition?
A value proposition is a combination of a team purpose, service offerings and how your team wants to work more effectively with each other, their customers/stakeholders.
It can align with a wider organisation and/or business group vision, purpose and plan.
Realigning your team’s purpose
The pandemic has accelerated the need for teams to adapt and innovate, as customer demands and market dynamics have shifted. By reassessing their team’s purpose, aligned with an organisation’s future direction, leaders can work with their teams towards a renewed common goal with a forward focus, and identify new opportunities and areas for growth.
Refreshing your team’s service offerings
A leader who has co-designed a clear purpose and service offerings with their team has a higher chance of team buy-in and engagement to any new or refreshed direction.
Would you and your team appreciate being clearer on what services you provide (internal and external), so you can more clearly articulate these? Perhaps your team has experienced ongoing change and challenges. Or maybe your team did this exercise before the pandemic, but due to changes in circumstances, this needs refreshing.
Reinvigorating your team culture
Are you noticing that people would appreciate knowing how they can work and communicate more effectively with each other and with their customers or other stakeholders?
In Korn Ferry’s recent post pandemic research titled ‘Culture is just a buzzword’, it states:
“Transforming your culture for future success may be easier than you think. We always say your culture is your behaviours at scale. Do your people have the motivation, mindset and ability to drive your business in the coming years? If you can change the way just 10% of your people behave at work, you’ll hit cultural mass - making it easier for new norms to become mainstream and culture to shift. So, make sure you’ve mapped out the behaviours you need from the start.”
Team norms are mutually-agreed standards that guide how team members work together and communicate with each other and their customers/stakeholders. Their purpose is also to clarify expectations, foster team continuity, and mitigate conflict.
Acknowledging the challenges and good things from the past and being able to bring some of these good things into a new future, enables team buy-in to any future focus. They can then focus on their present reality and what might be possible.
Setting up new team norms with a forward-focused approach will enable your team to acknowledge the challenges or the recent past and make a fresh start.
Summary
Creating a team value proposition, including a clear purpose, service offerings and team norms will refresh your team culture and improve productivity, team motivation and energy. There’s never been a better time than now to do just that.
Authored by Selena Bernath, one of our OD specialists.
If you would like some help with refreshing your team purpose, service offerings and team values, contact Nicky on info@odi.org.nz or 03 943 2373.