When organizations restructure, they focus heavily on getting the new structure right: reporting lines, responsibilities, processes, systems, and timelines. But there’s another question that’s easy to overlook: How will the people in this new structure actually work together?
In our work with global organizations navigating restructures, mergers, joint ventures, and other major transformations, we’ve seen how quickly differences in work styles can surface when people are asked to work together in new ways. Teams may align on business goals and still have very different expectations about how decisions should be made, how directly people should communicate, how much input a leader should seek, or how comfortable they are moving forward without all the information.
Those differences aren’t always obvious at the outset. They tend to emerge in the work itself—a decision that takes longer than expected, feedback that lands badly, a meeting where one group does most of the talking, or frustration over how quickly (or slowly) a project is moving.
Understanding those work-style differences early can give newly formed teams a much better starting point.
Most organizational transformation strategies understandably focus on the mechanics of change. Who reports to whom? Which functions are moving? What processes need to change? How will technology support the transition?
Those questions matter, but once the new structure is in place, people still have to figure out how to operate within it.
We’ve seen this play out with clients bringing together teams that had previously operated very differently. In one case, one group was accustomed to leaders making decisions quickly and moving forward, while another expected broader input before making a decision.
Both approaches had worked in their previous environments. Friction arose when each group interpreted the other’s behavior through its own expectations. One saw unnecessary delays; the other felt important perspectives were being overlooked.
Making the difference visible changed the conversation. Instead of debating who was indecisive or moving too quickly, the team could ask a more useful question: How do we want to make decisions together?
Newly formed teams don’t need to approach work the same way. They do need to agree on how they’ll communicate, make decisions, give feedback, and work through differences.
Restructuring can add another layer of complexity in global organizations. New teams may span functions, regions, countries, and time zones—and differences that were easy to navigate within established teams can become much more visible.
If you’re bringing together a new team, listen for questions like these:
These can sound like complaints about individual colleagues. But they can also signal that people have different expectations about decision-making, hierarchy, risk, communication, or relationships.
That’s a useful distinction for a transformation leader to recognize. Before treating the issue as resistance, poor performance, or interpersonal conflict, ask whether different work styles could be contributing.
The goal isn’t simply to identify that people work differently. A newly formed team needs a way to talk about those differences and decide what to do with them.
The GlobeSmart® Profile gives teams a shared language for doing that. The ten-minute assessment looks at five dimensions that frequently show up in global teamwork:
Once team members have completed their Profiles, use the differences you can now see to create a simple operating manual for the new team.
Start with a few questions:
A restructuring determines who will work together. Giving those people a way to understand how they’ll work together can make the transition easier.
Whether you’re planning a reorganization, integrating teams after a merger or acquisition, or bringing together colleagues across functions and regions, it’s worth discussing work-style differences early—not waiting until they become a source of friction.
Learn how the GlobeSmart® Profile helps newly formed teams understand their differences and establish more effective ways of working together.
Many transformation plans focus on processes, reporting structures, and technology. Those elements are important, but they don’t explain how people actually collaborate. Differences in communication styles, decision-making preferences, and approaches to feedback can create friction that slows execution if teams never discuss them.
Restructuring often brings together teams from different functions, regions, and countries. People may have different expectations about hierarchy, collaboration, speed, or communication. Building awareness of those differences helps teams work through them more effectively, rather than interpreting them as personal or organizational resistance.
One practical starting point is creating a shared understanding of how team members prefer to communicate, make decisions, and collaborate. The GlobeSmart Profile gives teams a common framework for discussing work-style differences, making it easier to identify potential friction points and develop more effective ways of working together.