Establishing a new team

The process for establishing an entirely new team is both easier and more difficult than inheriting an existing team. It’s easier because you have a clean slate to work from and can specify the roles and structure without allowing for existing skills and weaknesses. It’s difficult because, not only will there be a learning curve in terms of the work you are doing, but also in working relationships, processes and team norms. Against a background of massive change, you will still be expected to deliver.

That said, new teams carry less baggage and can often be maximally productive because they are not constrained by the knowledge that there are ‘ways of doing things around here’.

Navigating the hiring process

The process of working out team roles is broadly the same as for bringing new objectives to an existing team, but it pays to research the hiring process. Getting a lesson in comparative grades and job content, and working out what is required by HR before you scope job descriptions can significantly speed the process, as can finding out who is responsible for what, and the likely lead times involved. In particular, watch out for hiring processes driven by equality policies, such as internal advertisement, and priority given to redeployees and disabled candidates.