Techniques and Tactics for Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities
It’s important to clarify roles and responsibilities with the members of a team so that everyone has a common understanding of who’s doing what on the team, how responsibilities are shared, and what team members can expect from one another. Leaders can use the following techniques to clarify roles and responsibilities.
Collaboratively determine role breakdown
Definition
Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of your team members ensures that everyone has a common understanding of who does what on the team, how responsibilities are shared, and what team members expect of one another.
Tactics
- Discuss with your team members the answers to the following questions:
- What is each individual's role on the team?
- Who will be responsible for what specific tasks?
- When does each individual need to complete the task?
- How does each individual's role support other roles?
- Develop a plan for how the team will maintain situational awareness.
- Engage in "what if" rehearsals to manage change and foster adaptability.
- Have team members briefly review their areas of expertise so that everyone knows who to rely on for certain knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- Monitor team members to make sure that individuals are not getting overwhelmed during performance.
- If multiple team members have similar roles, emphasize that they should back one another up and provide support as needed.
Empower team members to share leadership
Definition
Empowering team members to share leadership demonstrates trust in your subordinates and shows your acknowledgement of their strengths and abilities. Dividing tasks also makes for better performance.
Tactics
- Delegate to qualified individuals to strengthen their capabilities, as appropriate given time constraints.
- Define the limits of decision-making power.
- Try not to second guess the decisions of those you empower.
- Emphasize to all team members why and how you are sharing leadership responsibilities to ensure buy-in from everyone.
Conduct regular team check-ins
Definition
Informally check in with team members before and after performance.
Tactics
- Pre-performance: Engage in a brief discussion that clarifies roles and communications processes, focusing on teamwork and not just task work.
- During/Post-performance: Discuss whether everyone understood roles and responsibilities - "did we make the decision in the right way and appropriately carry out our roles/responsibilities using a process that increases our odds of success across different circumstances?"