Are unclear roles and responsibilities hurting your team?

Here’s what you should know…

When it comes to assigning and communicating roles and responsibilities – clarity matters.

When there is a lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities, it can come at a cost:

· Lack of Engagement
· Weakened Relationships
· Conflict Over Responsibility and Authority
· Decreased Productivity
· Weakened Morale
· Duplicated Efforts
· Missed Deadlines

People work better together when they understand what their roles and responsibilities are.

Some things to keep in mind to better define your team’s roles and responsibilities:

· First, make sure everyone understands the difference between Roles and Responsibilities. Roles are the positions on the team. Responsibilities are the tasks that each role is expected to perform.

· Don’t make assumptions that people know what they should be doing.

· Provide very clear direction on what each person should work on and to whom they report, especially if it varies per project.

· Make sure the team understands the overall goals and objectives.

·  Understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

· Get team members to communicate what they need and expect from each other to succeed. This creates a “we” mentality and integrates the final important piece - accountability.

· Possible tools, such as a RACI matrix (showing those who are: responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed), may be helpful in managing your team and their responsibilities.

What other ways do you ensure your team understands their roles and responsibilities?