It was not too long ago when most businesses were based on hierarchies. At the top was the business owner. He or she was surrounded by a few key executives. Below this circle of power was everyone else. These were politely called ‘staff’ or bluntly referred to as ‘workers’.

While hierarchies still exist, they are fading away. This is because this paradigm, which worked well for centuries, is being dismantled by the need for businesses to embrace technological innovation. Technology, then, is the unstoppable force that is leveling the playing field. Knowledge is no longer focused on the top of an organisation but spread throughout it.

End of the monarchy

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee who worked for CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) developed the World Wide Web. This sparked a technological revolution whose momentum continues to grow. The biggest contribution of the web is the rapid growth of human knowledge because of the mass distribution of information. Slowly, an army of knowledgeable workers grew to manage the strange problem of the rapid expansion of human knowledge. Currently, human knowledge is doubling every 12 months, but it is expected to double every 12 hours when the Internet of Things matures around 2020.

Before these events, corporations had a similar structure to a monarchy. After the king and his courtiers, there were the rest of the palace workers from kitchen maids to palace guards. While this model has not disappeared, its dominance is receding.

When education was scarce, royalty and courtiers were a little better educated than everyone else. In theory, they could make the best decisions for the common good. Similarly, during the early phase of the Industrial era, the ruling elite had the capital to get a better education than everyone else who worked for them.

But we now live in a different era. It’s the age of the knowledgeable workers. Often knowledge is not concentrated at the top. In technical companies, the founders may have had a slight edge in coming up with a winning idea, but they know that without the willing cooperation of knowledgeable workers, their business will not go far. These knowledgeable workers may even be better educated and more skilled in certain aspects of the work than the founder.

So, today, all companies, including non-tech companies, rely on a collective pool of intelligence to create a meaningful, innovative, forward-thinking company. 

How to build a business team

When a business founder builds a team, he or she confers with partners and begins recruiting like-minded people to join the company. Fortunately, this does not have to be a long-drawn hit and miss hiring process any more. Companies like Extreme Technologies Inc can do the heavy lifting because they understand what it takes to find the best talent who understand the demands of business and technology today.

What companies are looking for today are team players, knowledgeable workers committed to a group goal. 

New hires should have these five characteristics:

First, they should be like-minded (capable of sharing in the company’s culture).

Second, they should share a relentless passion for the vision outlined by the founders.

Third, they should  be clear on their respective roles.

Fourth, they should  be willing to work in an immersive environment.

Fifth, they should  share a collective will to improve the world through their collaborative project

A dozen characteristics of a business dream team

Here are twelve ideal characteristics of a good team:

1. Everyone participates in the team. They are active and positive. They attend meetings and sign up for projects.
2. Everyone understands the team’s goals.
3. Everyone attempts to offer creative solutions as a project runs into problems.
4. Everyone listens to feedback and responds to it.
5. Everyone uses initiative. People take pride in getting things done.
6. Everyone trusts their teammates and sees judgment as feedback, not a personal attack.
7. Everyone understands that any project involves risks. They don’t assume that management alone has to bear the brunt of all mistakes.
8. Everyone supports all the team members, as well as the project.
9. Everyone shares their ideas and information. There is open communication throughout the team.
10. Everyone relies on logic, organization, and merit to accomplish things. Ideas are not approved because they came from an authority figure.
11. Everyone participates in decision making. Dissenting opinions are taken into consideration. The final decisions are usually collective and there is full acceptance of them.
12. Everyone focuses on doing their part within a realistic time frame. There is respect for the struggle and equal sharing of success in reaching the ultimate goal of a project.

The power of a business team

In a Fast Company article on The Key Habit of Highly Effective Teams, Justin Rosenstein sums up the power of teams when he says, ‘Teams armed with clarity know exactly what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and who’s responsible. They hit their deadlines, reach their milestones, and even build billion-dollar businesses. Those without it spin in circles, waste time, and lose steam.’

Further reading on employing staff

• 6 ingredients for building an irresistible team
• Important employment rights checklist for employers