How Multiteaming Can Hurt Team Dynamics

Most likely, many of your employees wear "many hats." In other words, they work on several tasks in various teams (multiteaming) simultaneously. But, there can be downsides to this if not approached correctly. Not only can these employees burn out, but it can also hurt your teams' dynamics.When you have multiple employees working on a variety of teams, it continuously changes the structures of these teams. This makes it difficult for certain teams to function well. And when employees constantly enter and exit a team, it weakens the identity and cohesion of the group. This also makes it more challenging to resolve issues and build trust within teams.Here are a couple strategies to better approach each employee's multiteaming:

Know how many different teams you have your employees on.

This helps you keep track of which team members are close to burnout.  This also can help you better detect which teams are weaker in structure. Keep note of which teams are operating at a distance from everyone else, too. These island teams may be poorly organized and need more of your attention.

Give multiteams the opportunity to get to know each other better.

As a manager, you have to spearhead personal interactions for your team members. If you don't, they typically won't foster successful relationships with one another. This can create tension amognst them when problems occur within the teams.Monitor your teams regularly.  And always keep note of which tasks your employees are working on, and in which teams. Multiteaming can work well if you are mindful of your strategy.Source: Associations Now