How can you balance team cohesion with diversity in Program Management?
Program management involves coordinating multiple projects and teams to achieve a common goal. As a program manager, you need to foster team cohesion and collaboration, but also respect and leverage the diversity of your team members. How can you balance these two aspects of team management? Here are some tips to help you.
One of the first steps to build team cohesion and diversity is to define the program vision and values. These are the guiding principles that align your teams and projects with the strategic objectives of the organization. They also reflect the culture and norms that you want to promote in your program. By communicating the vision and values clearly and consistently, you can create a sense of purpose and belonging among your team members, as well as encourage them to share their diverse perspectives and contributions.
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I believe the program's vision is the key factor. Enabling all team members to understand that clearly will mostly help build the cohesion needed since they all accept that shared vision. Diversity in thoughts/ideas are always helpful, but that need not be the key driver for a program's success. There are times when a program needs focused execution more than ideation, in such cases, shared vision will help understand what needs to get done.
Another way to balance team cohesion and diversity is to establish clear roles and responsibilities for each team and project. This helps to avoid confusion, duplication, and conflict, and to ensure accountability and transparency. It also allows you to assign tasks and resources based on the skills, strengths, and preferences of your team members, and to recognize and appreciate their individual and collective achievements. By defining roles and responsibilities, you can create a structure and a system that support your team cohesion and diversity.
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This is a key aspect in all high-performing teams since lack of role clarity ends up in stepping on other's toes leading to friction and chaos. If the first few weeks are spend in clarity in this one aspect, the entire program execution becomes a breeze. Once these are defines, KRA definitions become easier, thereby performance management too. Success of failure of people/objectives get clearer as we move forward, helping management take informed decisions on what to change and by how much.
Communication and feedback are essential for team cohesion and diversity. They enable you to share information, expectations, and progress, as well as to solicit and provide input, suggestions, and recognition. As a program manager, you need to facilitate communication and feedback across teams and projects, as well as within each team. You can use various tools and methods, such as meetings, reports, surveys, and online platforms, to communicate and collect feedback. You also need to be open and responsive to the feedback you receive, and to act on it when appropriate.
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I have seen some teams using too many communication channels within and soon they are lost in a deluge of information (at times irrelevant). It becomes an imperative for the Program Manager to define the right channels for the appropriate purpose with limited monitoring/management of those channels to encourage people to use it for relevant purposes. Too much monitoring will stop people from using it, too little will cause a glut of information; striking a balance is the key.
Learning and development are also important for team cohesion and diversity. They help you to enhance the skills, knowledge, and performance of your team members, as well as to foster their growth and satisfaction. As a program manager, you need to promote learning and development opportunities for your team members, such as training, coaching, mentoring, and peer learning. You also need to support their career aspirations and goals, and to create a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
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Balancing team cohesion and diversity involves celebrating differences and promoting learning and development. Early in my career as a program manager, I faced challenges in aligning a diverse team with varying skill sets and backgrounds. To address this, I initiated training sessions, coaching, and mentorship programs. These efforts not only enhanced individual capabilities but also fostered a collaborative spirit. Acknowledging and celebrating diverse perspectives brought fresh ideas to the table, enriching our problem-solving approaches. It's essential to create an environment where team members feel supported in their learning journey and empowered to contribute their unique strengths to the collective success of the program.
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Growth comes by learning and teams learn when you invest in them. They need to know you are with them out in front of them and behind them. When pulling together there is hardly a time when you can afford exclusivity. Diversity us not a concept. It's a result of valuing every one doing what they do best. I heard someone say that if two people are too much alike, one of them is unnecessary. I like that approach and it leads to natural diversity without force fitting.
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Almost every "invested" team members expects to learn something through their tenure in the program. Providing them the platform for that along with encouragement to those who used it appropriately goes a long way is fostering that learning culture, which benefits, the individual, the team and the org in all ways.
Finally, you need to celebrate diversity and inclusion in your program management. This means to acknowledge and value the differences and similarities among your team members, such as their backgrounds, experiences, personalities, and preferences. It also means to create an environment where everyone feels respected, included, and empowered to participate and contribute. As a program manager, you need to model and advocate for diversity and inclusion, and to address any issues or challenges that may arise. You also need to celebrate the achievements and successes of your diverse and cohesive teams.
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I concur. Why instill a value that has not been inculcated from an early age, typically with education from the family side?! This is like messaging anti-tobacco/anti-drugs to people who don't even want to think about such vices. Because the world outside is twisted, we don't want our children to grow up with imposed values and fears. We all grew up that way.
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Balancing team cohesion with diversity in Program Management is crucial for success. Celebrating diversity involves acknowledging differences in team members' backgrounds, experiences, personalities, and preferences. Creating an inclusive environment fosters respect and empowerment. As a program manager, modeling and advocating for diversity and inclusion sets the team culture. Addressing challenges promptly and celebrating diverse team achievements reinforces unity and individuality. Prioritizing diversity and inclusion actively turns these principles into actionable strategies for a dynamic and successful project team.
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