5 Ways to Improve Team Alignment

How does the term “alignment” apply to business?  Alignment is the concept of having a team that is in sync with the direction of the business.  It is the situation where decision making, prioritization, and actions from both the group as a whole, and from individual employees, are “aligned” with the business purpose, goals, and culture.  It is the proverbial “everyone rowing the boat in the same direction”.

Why should we strive for alignment in our businesses?  Well, the benefits of having an aligned team are actually kind of amazing:

• Alignment creates synergy, i.e., the team accomplishes more together than the sum of the accomplishments of individual members.
• The team is more harmonious.  Everyone feels less stress, and has substantially less conflict to deal with.  The work experience is better, and employee retention greater.
• Customers receive a consistent, repeatable experience in doing business with you.
• The team gets results.  The business reaches its goals more easily, whether they be long term, or the accomplishment of short term projects or campaigns.

So clearly, seeking to build alignment in your organization should be a focus for business owners and managers.  But how do you go about it?  Well, like a lot of things in life, it’s best to start with the basics.  Here are five alignment building practices you should adapt.

1. Strategic Planning.  I don’t mean simply your own secret plan that you dreamed up in a weekend at the cabin.  Strategic plans that create alignment are created by some or all of the team, and most importantly shared, explained and understood by all.
2. Team Meetings.  Alignment takes ongoing work, constantly reminding members of where the business is headed, what the key initiatives are, and who is responsible for what.  Short, focused meetings held rhythmically, and cascading through the organization help build alignment.
3. Key Performance Indicators.  Measuring things gets results.  KPIs act as the team’s scoreboard, and KPIs should apply not only to the team as a whole, but to individual members.
4. Systematization of Processes.  Systems that are documented and repeatable help create more consistency, because they ingrain the best ways that things get done.
5. Clarity about Employee Expectations.  When we take the time to help team members clearly understand what we expect of them, and gain their commitment to their own individual goals, we can align their actions to the organization’s needs.

Of course, all of this depends on how you, the owner, lead your organization.  Are you able to candidly assess your leadership abilities?  On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank yourself as a leader?  On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank your team’s alignment?  Those two numbers should be very close, or the same.  If they’re not, you are lying to yourself on one or both of the rankings, and it’s probably the first one.  Alignment is highly dependent on Leadership, and if Leadership is a weakness, Alignment will be, too.