For any business, the growth lies in a self-sufficient workforce. A self-sufficient team is an empowered work unit. They can function optimally with minimal or no supervisory authority.

If your team unit is in need of self-sufficiency, you might want to reassess your organizational and team’s performance goals.

I recently was in a client meeting and we discussed this very item.  Here were a few things that came to light in that conversation. Maybe they can help you also.

Communicate with your team

Conduct regular team meetings with them to plan and carry out operations. Direct communication is the first step in ensuring an autonomous workforce. Meetings also provide leadership, guidance and direction to employees. (Good meetings that is – if not, read “Boring Meetings Suck”.

Make sure that all team members are present in meetings. Discuss core issues and concerns here. Also, work with your team to come up with effective solutions. Try to get knowledge of your team members as people, not just as employees.

Establish training

Alongside meetings, training sessions are just as important. Try to establish trainings as a regular business practice.

Set team responsibilities

A self-sufficient department handles all responsibilities themselves. However, they can’t do everything at once.

Give your team a reasonable amount of time to get used to their new roles. Let them understand, process and adapt to their new supervisory routines.

In order to help them take on their new job responsibilities smoothly, establish clear goals as well as expected results for them. Also, define the structure they need to work within.

Provide training support to take on new duties. And most importantly, evaluate results and reward them.

Develop workable systems

We talked most about this one – Develop systems to fit the team’s new structure. Keep your team on board. Developing a new system may entail formulating new organizational policies. What steps are in place as a check and balance. How can one team member see where they are in the process and know what is next. Are these systems easily found and user friendly?

Make improvements

Once you’ve created a workable plan, allow your team to work on their own. Let them take full responsibility. Let them tackle issues and formulate solutions. Remember, they might stumble and make mistakes. Don’t get too involved. It is by making mistakes that they will learn and grow.

Observe your team’s performance. Assess what’s working and what’s not. Make changes to your work system after some time.

Motivate them!

If your team needs motivation to move towards self-sufficiency and self-management, hire an inspirational speaker. Jon Petz is a leading business motivational speaker who breathes life into dull keynote sessions.