While at a recent conference, a common theme kept recurring… the desire for role clarity. The solution noted often centered around creating very clear responsibilities for each role. Now I’m not opposed to this in general. But as people discuss this solution a major issue always come to my mind:
If the problem was that people don’t know what they are responsible for, this solution can be helpful. Yet, that’s rarely the problem that I really see when dealing with roles. Typically, they do know the responsibilities but they do not have something they need to accomplish them. This clearly defined role chart just becomes a weapon and is not addressing the root challenges. Why doesn’t the person have time, skills or autonomy to do the role?
In addition, the more you are very concrete about role definitions and distinctions, the more you cooperate versus collaborate together. This can lead people down the “my part, your part” approach to the work versus working together in what makes most sense in the moment.
I’m not saying don’t do any role discussions. I’m saying that when you do them, don’t treat people like they have to fit in a perfect box. What if you have a person in the role that just doesn’t know how or even want to learn a part? It’s so much better to own and discuss alternatives then to pretend and be frustrated. Can someone pair? Does someone else want to learn this skill (create an opportunity)? How can we deal with this gap?
If every role looks the same from team to team, I’m calling shenanigans. Humans are too complex for that simplicity.
How do you deal with the root issues that cause role clarity challenges?
