Every senior management team likes to hear this phrase: “We are a top team!” Yet, even in teams that seem to be running “smoothly” at first glance, noticeable improvements are always possible, often to the surprise of those involved. The reason why is because sometimes important “basics” creep under the radar over time.

Essential for any team, for example, is an agreement on the rules of the game. In particular, the increasingly dominant hybrid or virtual forms of collaboration require more extensive coordination and more intensive work on a positive team culture than was previously the case.

Whereas in traditional face-to-face meetings in a room any dissonance between participating members can be detected relatively accurately, in digital meetings, closeness and trust must be built up systematically. Therefore, both of these factors together create the reliable basis for good collaboration – and that includes virtual collaboration!

Companies striving to break away from old and rigid hierarchies in favour of more self-responsibility are familiar with the problem: Even if teams have long demanded more self-responsibility, they are often overwhelmed the moment the switch has to be flipped. This is because the ability to organize oneself needs to be learned and, above all, trained. The good news: it can be learned!

Depending on the maturity of a team, work can be done systematically to support the team on its way to more autonomous management. In this context, it is important to design the framework conditions from the outset in such a way that self-organization is not just “allowed” and made possible. When implemented correctly, self-organization is perceived as a new and inspiring kind of freedom that acts like a booster, significantly increasing the willingness of individual team members to perform and thus also the performance of the team as a whole.