Ask Linda: Developing Strong Teams
When building your teams, include a mix of new hires and existing staff whose skills and strengths will play well off each other
Dear Linda,
At my lab, we recently expanded our staff and have added on many new hires. The existing staff, many of whom have worked here for most of their career, are apprehensive to the new hires and how the daily dynamic and workflow will change. With this new mix of generations and experience among my staff, what can I do to encourage collaboration and teamwork, while still making the existing employees feel valued?
Thanks,
Ryan
Dear Ryan,
A wave of new hires can sometimes make existing employees uneasy or apprehensive if they struggle with accepting change and new ways of performing tasks. It is important to address this from the start by strategically developing lab teams. Strategic teams are built with a cohesion of talent blocks with a serious effort to match, develop, and sustain talent that works well together, learns well together, and serves well together. When building your teams, include a mix of new hires and existing staff whose skills and strengths will play well off each other. Hold the entire team accountable for its success to encourage a collaborative environment, instead of an individual one. Also, take time to chat with your existing employees one-on-one so they can voice any concerns and provide feedback on how the team dynamic is functioning.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Linda
For more information: www.labmanager.com/successful-lab-teams
Have a question for Linda? Email her at LINDA@labmanager.com