Five Things Law Firm Leaders Need to Do As People Return to the Office

For those who are leading teams (such as executive committees, practice and industry groups, client teams, administrative departments, and firm committees), the struggle is more complex. Over the past 18 months, new people may have joined the team, others have left, and many are reconsidering their future in the organization. Many firms are shifting to a hybrid work model, where lawyers and staff will divide their time between in-office and outside-the-office work, making management and leadership tasks more challenging.

1. Facilitate Team Re-Forming

In the 1960's, Bruce W. Tuckman developed a model of team development that describes individual and group behavior as teams matured into higher levels of performance. The four stages (some researchers have added a fifth stage) are:

1. Forming. In the beginning, when a team forms, there is little agreement on the common purpose, strategies, and tactics to achieve the goal. Roles are unclear. Leaders need to provide clear guidance and direction at this stage.
2. Storming. Team members are often in conflict over tactics and roles. Power struggles emerge. Leaders need to provide clarity of purpose, role definitions and coaching to resolve conflict.
3. Norming. At some point, team members more clearly understand their role and power structure, agree on the team "rules" (both formal and informal), and how to accomplish the tasks before them. The leader provides facilitation and resources for the team to do their work.
4. Healthy teams, having gone through the previous three stages, share a clear vision and purpose, are focused on achieving their goals, and are in agreement on how to allocate work. The leader facilitates communication, collaboration, and team growth.
5. Adjourning. For some teams, once the goal is achieved and the tasks completed, the team celebrates their accomplishments, appreciates the impact on the organization, and receives recognition.

Sound painful? It can be! Anyone who has led a team knows how difficult it is to lead through these stages to finally get to the level of a high performing team. Many teams don't ever make it that far.