ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

How often have you tried to apply an approach or technique you are very familiar with, only to find you have created all sorts of confusion for others? As you seek new and different experiences with individuals and groups in your organization, you will be tempted to use what has worked for you as a supervisor in the past. I learned the hard way that one size does not fit all.

For five years I supervised a group of eight individuals whose duties were to create intellectual properties for the organization. Each project had its own purpose and each of the individuals led his or her project in a highly individual fashion. Recognizing that each project had unique requirements, we accommodated great latitude in work styles. One project demanded hours of research offsite. Another project dealt with time-sensitive testing, so the team’s office hours varied widely from day to day. Each of the professionals worked independently and communicated regularly to report on progress or challenges. No one person’s work depended on the advancement or success of another’s. No one had to approve or disapprove anyone else’s work.

Each group member was highly motivated by the nature of the work. Each was a senior person who was aware that good work on his or her individual project could bring recognition in the organization and in the field.

My main duties were to obtain and allocate the resources necessary for each person in the group to achieve individual goals within the constraints of the organization, create and maintain the structure to keep communication flowing within and outside the group, and provide an environment that would foster the highest level of success. As a supervisor, I was more of a facilitator. I was often called in to act as a sounding board or to assist in moving some element of a project forward—but never to establish day-to-day tasks or roles for the individuals. The less structure I imposed on each individual and the group as a whole, the better the group worked and the greater their accomplishments.

One of the projects was deemed successful enough to become a new practice for the organization. I left my group to lead the task force that was charged with implementing this new practice. My elation in spearheading the new endeavor was soon deflated by the problems I created when I tried to use the same supervisory techniques I had used with my last group—which had been so successful for me—with this new group.

The new group comprised 20 members, some salaried and some hourly, and included administrative staff, technicians, and personnel pulled from various departments throughout the organization. None had worked together before.

I made my first mistake at the initial meeting of the new group. I planned to use the meeting to set the general schedule, and I assumed that each group member would offer suggestions for how to accomplish the mission within the required time and costs. I had spoken to each person individually prior to the meeting and believed each knew his or her role. What I had not addressed before the meeting was how each of these folks would act within the group when they came together for the first time.

Many of the individual tasks were interdependent and I had not thought to create a matrix showing how each person was responsible for his or her portion of the complex tasks we had to accomplish as a group. My shortcomings quickly became apparent when one member—and then many others—asked, “So how is this going to work, exactly?”

For five years I had enjoyed success as a supervisor by keeping structure to a minimum. I tried to use what had worked for me in the past in this very different environment—and got off to a rocky start. This group needed structure. They had no history of working together, and they had no background with the new practice we were to implement.

Each new group, each new environment, and each new task requires a supervisor to consider the specific skills and techniques that will make the endeavor successful. Always try to keep in mind that one size does not fit all.