As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, key workers have been praised for their steadfast and dutiful approach.
At the next stage following lockdown, employees in all organisations are working hard to meet the challenges of these testing times. What lies behind their work is often team working within a focused working structure, practices and skills that are necessary to deliver sometimes extraordinary acts in these times. In such circumstances, team working and team leadership skills can be stretched to their limits.
Importantly, strong teams are being tasked with picking up and responding to many of the issues in this dynamic environment. The first Nightingale Hospital in London was put together and commissioned in just nine days - a triumph of many agencies working together. Also, thousands of food parcels have been sent out in record time to identified vulnerable people, through the coordination of different agencies and suppliers.
The flexibility and skills of those involved are critical, but also strains and weaknesses in the organisation are likely to come to the fore and need to be addressed. For example, as time has gone on during the pandemic, communication and coordination of different agencies and between local and national governments has, at times, caused problems in getting things done.
This article focuses on team working during these difficult times, which is often taking a visible and prominent role, either through operational teams or newly installed task teams.
About the Author
Steve Macaulay is an associate at Cranfield Executive Development, responsible for designing and implementing learning strategies for managers using online networking methods. He has spent some 15 years consulting on organisational and change management issues. Steve draws on over 20 years' practical experience of putting change into practice, through senior human resources positions in software, engineering, telecommunications and media industries. He is a published co-author of four books on performance and change management, customer service and empowerment and has written widely in professional journals.
