Modern teams face a different set of challenges compared to those of the past. They are more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic, with frequent changes in membership. Despite these hurdles, the success of a team still relies on a core set of fundamentals for group collaboration. These fundamentals were identified by J. Richard Hackman, a pioneer in the field of organizational behavior who began studying teams in the 1970s. Through more than 40 years of research, he discovered that what matters most to collaboration is not the personalities, attitudes, or behavioral styles of team members. Instead, certain “enabling conditions” are needed for teams to thrive. According to his study, the core enabling conditions for team effectiveness are a compelling direction, a strong structure, and a supportive context. In more recent studies, a fourth critical condition, a shared mindset, has also been identified.
1. Compelling Direction: A clear and compelling customer-focused direction is essential for any customer service team. This direction should be communicated to team members in a way that energizes and engages them, and should be aligned with the company’s overall mission and values. The team’s goals should focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences, resolving issues promptly, and fostering customer loyalty.
2. Strong Structure: The right mix of team members with diverse backgrounds and skill sets is important for a customer service team. The team’s tasks and processes should be designed to optimize the customer experience, with clear communication channels and procedures in place for handling customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback. Norms that promote positive dynamics, such as active listening, empathy, and effective communication, are also essential.
3. Supportive Context: Customer service teams require access to the resources and support necessary to succeed. This includes access to customer data and information, technology tools and platforms, training and development opportunities, and support from other departments within the organization.
4. Shared Mindset: A shared customer-centric mindset is crucial for any customer service team. Team members must share common assumptions, beliefs, and values about the importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences and resolving issues promptly. This shared mindset can be reinforced through regular training and development, as well as by recognizing and rewarding behaviors that align with the team’s customer service goals.
In summary, the enabling conditions for team effectiveness in the customer service industry require a clear and compelling customer-focused direction, a strong team structure that supports positive dynamics, access to the necessary resources and support, and a shared customer-centric mindset among team members.
To set teams up for success, it’s important to focus on promoting shared understanding among team members which can be achieved through a practice called “structured unstructured time”. This involves setting aside some time during team meetings for open discussion about matters not directly related to the task at hand, such as office politics or personal events. This can help team members develop a more complete understanding of their colleagues, their work, and their environment. It’s important for team leaders to set clear expectations and norms for these discussions, so they don’t become awkward or unproductive.