QUESTION: I will be more powerful if I have a large team.
REALITY: A small, high-performing team might be more powerful than a large one.
The instinct to build empires is one of the main sources of power hoarding. In the case of companies, many managers feel that the size of their team matters—the bigger the better.
There is no doubt that ‘numbers’ play an important role in office life, but is empire building worth it? In the promotion policy of some organizations, there is a component called ‘spa of control’, which means that a person gets promoted to a certain level only if he has had the experience of managing a specified number of people. This is disadvantageous for those managers who believe in higher productivity from smaller ‘teams as they may not have the numbers to ‘show off’. Such policies only add to the ‘rat race’ of empire building. There are also managers who feel that leading a multi-functional or a large team will be of great help in ‘job security’, as, even if a few func4ons may be rolled back, a manager can still hold on to his job.) However, in reality, no company can continue to pay the same salary to a manager with reduced responsibilities. Moreover, in some cases, if a senior manager gets fired, it gives a junior an opportunity to show his mettle by leading a smaller team.
I have seldom come across a manager who, during the restructuring or downsizing process, has voluntarily offered to split his team or relinquish it, citing the company goal. Those who have done so were either forced by their superior or were personalities with a high level of self-confidence and maturity.
The downside of managing a large team is that if it is not managed properly; it will reflect poorly on the manager and will lead to his unceremonious removal from the position. In such cases, the manager will find it difficult to attain a similar level in the same company or outside it. Anyone who wishes to take on a bigger role has to go through a thorough self assessment procedure. its important for high-performing managers of big teams to be prepared for the phenomenon of downsizing, where they would have to lead a small team for a new initiative.
Small and influential teams will obviously have more importance than large and ineffective teams. And managers of small teams, if equipped with wisdom and skills, can exert great influence on big-team managers. At the end of the day, power is also rooted in expertise and functional relevance. For example, a small legal team can veto a large sale if the contract is not suitable for the company.
Managing a large number of people is a skill. It requires a lot of multiplexing; it demands the separation of the important Issues from the not-so-important ones; delegating is another major task, as also high-level risk assessment. Most important is to be on top of the major issues and action items.
A managers focus should be more on building a high-
performing team rather than on building a large team. Yes, ‘numbers’ are the most visible symbols of growth in management; but then, by simply having more ‘numbers’ in a team, growth can’t be assured unless the man in charge of the team has the skills to carry out his increased responsibilities successfully.
WHAT CAN you Do? If you subscribe to the notion of ‘empire building’, then you need to be fully aware of its pros and cons, You need to know whether this is the culture of your current organization or you have seen/heard it happening in other companies. If it is not the culture, then it should be easy for you to adjust to the culture of a high-performing team. But if the culture of your organization is based on empire building, then you should at least try to change it. You might feel disadvantaged in the beginning, but later on, you would be in a better position to hold the fort. You should avoid the temptation to grow by numbers, instead, focus on the manageability of your team. You must first do full justice to your existing responsibilities and then take up new challenges so as to grow organically, which will be more sustainable. ‘ Otherwise, with every restructuring or economic meltdown, you will be worried about losing your empire.
