Agile Leadership Myth #2: Self-Organizing Teams Don’t Need Help.

Self-organizing teams do need help. Self-organizing teams are not instant, automatic, or magically created, despite what is often implied. There is a process to become this type of team, and it is rarely, if ever, a straight line.  The help they need differs from more traditional directive assignments and task management.

To unravel this myth, we must look at what self-organizing means, what teams and managers experience, and what you can do to shift your help to a more ROI-friendly approach!

What does ‘self-organizing team’ mean?

The core idea with self-organizing teams is to let the team do as much of the work as possible instead of adding a bottleneck (the manager) to do the job you hired the team to do.

“A self-organizing team “self-organizes” to complete the work. Within the team, they commit to the work they believe they can complete, figure out how to get the work done, who will do what, monitor progress, and ensure that the work is complete based on what they have agreed ‘done’ means. The team works through conflict and challenges within the team. When they don’t have the experience or need additional help, they can get this from outside the team—ideally, learning new skills over time. This term has been used and still is when describing an agile team. Of course, it could be used for any team. It doesn’t have to be agile; it could be any team working together to deliver to customers. It is the opposite of a “manager-organized team,” where the manager determines who will do the work, how it is done, and monitors the status.” Read more about Self-Organizing Teams vs. Self-Managing Teams.

A core part of the myth stems from a misunderstanding of self-organization—what it means and the belief that a team can or should be self-organizing.

Self-organizing teams do need help!

The reality is that teams need help, but they need the right kind of help, and they need leaders, managers, coaches, and help from within the team to continuously improve. When organizations attempt to shift to self-organizing teams, the teams and managers are rarely prepared for the change or why they are even supposed to make the change.

What teams can experience: Teams may struggle to identify the type of help they need or how to articulate it. This is often the case for teams transitioning from a manager-directed environment, where they were told what to do and when. While teams might say, ‘We don’t need managers,’ they often mean they don’t need managers dictating tasks they already understand. Team members may face conflicts with one another, feel a lack of security, trust, or psychological safety, and hesitate to engage with their peers fully. Additionally, some team members may mistakenly feel they are ‘in charge’ of others, creating unnecessary tension.

What managers can experience: Managers are often put in a position of shifting from being experts and telling teams what to do to some new approach that is unclear to them. They may not know precisely how to help a self-organizing team. I call this clumsy management. It is not that they are doing it on purpose; they happen to be bumping into things when trying to help. Managers are sometimes told to “stay out of the team’s way,” so they become disengaged and unsure how to reengage. The fact that a manager may not be sure how to help a self-organizing team does not mean that help is not needed. Critically, managers are often not trained in the skills they need to shift from being the ‘know-it-all expert” to the person who leverages the team to benefit the team and the organization.

Should managers simply be leaders?

No. It is not that simple.

“We see these terms: manager and leader often pitted against each other, which is a pointless distraction. Because they are not the same thing, it seems a bit absurd to compare them. You can find thousands of articles and images of managers vs. leaders. They generally say a manager does bad, simple, robotic, and shortsighted things. A leader is an idealistic guru who makes everyone feel great and energetic. They bring ideas and joy to the world, and of course, they are good. . .  A core difference is that one is a job or role, and the other is more of a skill set. However, the skills may overlap. Often, when people believe a manager is doing a good job, they will call them a leader. Some people are called leaders but do not create an environment where people thrive and deliver results. This goes to the points above that there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ managers and leaders. There are probably some tactics or approaches that everyone would agree are good or bad—However, some approaches may work better or worse for some people.” Read more at Managers vs. Leaders – Why the Debate Misses the Point.

When we want people in our organization to manage and lead in different ways, we have to provide a leadership development framework, training, and coaching to support them as they continuously improve. We must help them with the skills they need to transition to embrace more ROI-friendly team models. We should not be surprised when they struggle and fail if we don’t.

What self-organizing teams need

Self-organizing teams need an environment and the space to thrive. They require opportunities to continuously learn and discover new ways to strengthen their relationships, fostering antifragile relationships—connections that not only withstand conflict but also grow stronger and more resilient through healthy disagreements.

Managers play a crucial role in supporting self-organizing teams. They must engage actively with their teams, helping them unlock their potential and exceed expectations. This isn’t about directing tasks but enabling the team to leverage their collective creativity, intelligence, and knowledge.  Managers need to help teams reach new heights, not by telling them what to do but by tapping into the vast knowledge that the creative and intelligent people they work with have. To accomplish this, managers need to learn and apply new management and leadership skills to help teams own as much of the work as they can. Without doing this, you will never get the value you are paying for from the team.  While it is not all about the money, it also is. You are paying smart people. You have to let them do their jobs.

This approach might sound ambitious, but it sets the stage for sustained growth, innovation, and success.  And what are your other options?

Where to start

Start by making sure people understand what the terms mean and discussing questions people have. Is everyone on the same page? If not, use this to dig into and explore not simply what the terms mean but what they mean to them in the job context.

Talk with other managers and leaders about the challenges you face. Share ideas and work through problems.

Consider what new concepts you can introduce to a team to help them become more antifragile. There are a lot of ideas out there, and sometimes they are introduced as “the way” to lead or “the way” to be a team member. Most often, the approach, tool, idea, or tactic used is simply the one you know. However, different options help people see different angles through different lenses. Don’t look to pick one way, instead look at various concepts that you can introduce over time based on what you see and hear as needs. Talk to your peers about ideas. Get outside help if you need it.

Perhaps the most straightforward place to start, as a manager or leader shifting more to a team, is this – ask yourself these questions every time you are considering solving a problem for the team:

• “Do they need me to solve this, or do I need me to solve this?” – Sounds a bit silly, but who are you doing this for? If you say the team never steps up, is that because of them or you? You might need to step back so they can step up.
• “If I solve this, will it help the team grow?” We see this repeatedly: When the manager owns the issue, they own the issue! Teams will not be accountable or responsible if you become the problem solver.
• “What does the team need from me to solve issues like these independently?” Remember not to tell a team, “You are empowered simply;” that is another myth that does not work.

What other questions do you like to ask? What other tools help?