How to Manage a Small Team Effectively
Although it is often easier to manage a small team than a large team, being a supervisor of a small team has challenges of its own. Small teams generally do not have the same resources or variety that large teams have. You must be especially careful to manage small teams properly -- using each team member's strengths to their fullest -- in order to successfully finish business or group projects.
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Instructions
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Hire team members with multiple skills. If your team size is limited, try to hire team members who have a combination of skills, and avoid hiring those that have experience only in one skill. This way, each team member can handle different functions within the group.
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Plan out carefully and exactly. With a small team, it is especially important that you are organized and can communicate what needs to be done. Make a detailed plan for each project, and make sure each member of the team knows his role.
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Give out tasks in order of priority. You do not have team members to spare or to do extra work, so you must keep your group focused on the most important tasks at hand.
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Consider yourself part of the team. If you manage a small team, you must understand that you are also a team member. Unlike a manager of a large team in which project management may be your only job, you use your skill set and complete some of the projects yourself with your small group.
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Balance team friendships with productivity. On small teams, each member works closely with one another. This can have negative effects if the team setting becomes a social meeting instead of work time. Encourage them to learn each other's personalities and working styles, but keep the team on task.
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Tips & Warnings
Read up on project management. Many skills for large teams and small teams overlap.
References
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