Even the most agile and goal-focused companies face obstacles and complex challenges. When these problems become mission-critical and require rapid, expert intervention, a Tiger Team might be the best solution. These cross-functional teams act swiftly, stay agile, and can make key decisions quickly because they don’t answer to too many stakeholders. In this guide, we’ll dive into what a Tiger Team is, when to activate one, and how to build a high-performing squad in your organization.
TL;DR
Tiger Teams are elite, cross-functional squads formed to tackle complex, short-term, mission-critical problems. They excel due to diverse perspectives, better collaboration, faster problem-solving, and boosted morale. Activate them when you need rapid resolutions, fresh ideas, or help with complex projects and failing initiatives. Build your team by prioritizing expertise, strong communication skills, and a manageable team size. Keep operations smooth with clear goals, well-defined roles, and consistent monitoring. Let’s discuss tiger teams in depth, as we learn why and when they are important and how to create a high-performing tiger team in your company.What Exactly Is a Tiger Team and Why Does It Matter?
A Tiger Team refers to a diverse group of experts working together to resolve a particular short-term problem or challenge. These teams consist of cross-functional specialists from various departments, with different professional backgrounds and skill sets. They focus on critical business or project aspects and collaborate to identify and implement possible solutions. Forming a tiger team eliminates information silos, allowing the experts to approach complex issues from multiple perspectives. The team remains small and flexible, taking a disruptive approach that enables them to develop creative solutions and take swift action.Every organization should have a tiger team in place for several reasons.
Creative Ideas and Fresh Perspectives
Bringing together experts from various teams or departments gives you access to diverse experiences, skills, and perspectives. This unique combination enables the team to handle challenging issues through fresh viewpoints and innovative solutions. You’re able to resolve problems in simple, practical ways that your regular team would not have managed.Better Collaboration and Outcomes
The backbone of tiger teams is the ability to work together effectively. Facilitating how a team of experts with different work practices and hands-on experience can work together creates room for new collaboration methods. This strategic collaboration results in better outcomes and helps to foster stronger work relationships between individuals and teams or departments. Such an environment also increases the chances of success in future projects or initiatives.Faster and Agile Problem-solving
Tiger teams aim to find efficient solutions to tough issues in the shortest time possible. A group of experts working together in real-time shortens the problem-solving process, so things get back to normal faster. This agility is especially vital for situations where you’re experiencing unexpected challenges or running behind schedule on a key project.Higher Motivation and Team Morale
Forming a tiger team makes experts feel appreciated and valued for their skills and experience. This appreciation motivates the team and boosts morale, giving everyone a chance to shine in what they do best. In addition to employee retention, overcoming challenges that the team thought were impossible motivates the rest of your team to continue delivering to meet deadlines. You’ll have fewer disruptions and create a stable, reliable, and resilient team.Skill and Knowledge Sharing
Tiger teams have a great opportunity to impart their skills, knowledge, and unique perspectives to other employees. Other team members not part of the tiger team can learn from the experts, bridging existing knowledge gaps. This approach leads to a well-rounded and stronger workforce.When to Activate a Tiger Team for Maximum Impact
Tiger teams are an elite group of experts and, therefore, not suitable for daily activities or minor issues. These teams work best in situations where you need fast action to address complex or business-critical problems. Due to their small size, it’s easier to make quick decisions and think freely to come up with creative solutions. So, when is the best time to activate a tiger team?Top 6 Reasons to Activate Tiger Teams
1. When you Need Fast Resolution
A tiger team can help you identify the root cause and solution to a problem in situations that need rapid resolution. For instance, when an issue is affecting the entire business or workforce, you need a quick solution.2. When Working on a Complex Project
A tiger team may be your best solution in a project that needs a range of skills and expertise. For example, when creating a first-of-its-kind product with a tight budget and timeline, bringing together different experts gives you the right skill combination to deliver.3. When in Need of Fresh Ideas
A tiger team disrupts the usual way of handling things, bringing in new creative ideas. They take other team members out of their comfort zones, challenging them with new perspectives and motivating them to seek unobvious solutions.4. When Unexpected Issues Arise
A Tiger Team can help save a failing project faced with unanticipated challenges. For instance, if you’re experiencing significant delays, activating a tiger team helps you recognize ways to speed up and catch up on the delivery timeline. Having an interdisciplinary approach can easily turn things around. Your team is able to recognize possible hurdles and develop solutions that they may not have when working as one department, team, or individual.5. When You Need Additional Transparency
Some projects require high stakeholder involvement. Since tiger teams are small, it’s easier for them to share information with the relevant people. You only have to integrate a comprehensive project management tool that allows real-time access, project tracking, and transparency.6. When Projects Start Failing
Activating a tiger team is the smartest move when dealing with failing or struggling projects. Fresh eyes can help you identify where you went wrong, providing valuable and actionable insights to get your project back on track.Assembling Your Tiger Team: Who Needs to Be at the Table?
The people who need to be on your tiger team will depend on the current challenge or what you intend to achieve. Different problems require different areas of expertise, so picking who should be on your team relies on the overarching or primary objective.
For instance, if the issue is a particular customer pain point, your team may consist of product designers, engineers, and salespeople. Having people from the finance or HR team will be unnecessary since they have little to no contribution towards product enhancements.
Every person on your tiger team should be an expert in their field, with enough experience to understand how their duties and responsibilities affect other team members. Senior employees are often more suitable as they bring a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience. Although less experienced employees likely have hyper-focused skill sets, they may leave some knowledge gaps that will work against the Tiger team’s purpose.
Tiger teams should have a limited number of actual members, but you can still involve other stakeholders to keep them updated on the team’s progress and decisions. This approach allows high-level stakeholders to keep things on track without the burden of too much information.
When assembling your team, consider the following aspects:
- Communication styles and personalities
- Timelines
- Experience Level
Your tiger team should be cohesive and ready to collaborate effectively and fast. If you have a choice between experts, opt for the individuals who communicate well and get along with others.
For the team to be highly functional, the members should make equal contributions in discussions, without others dominating conversations. They should also have the intelligence to handle complex emotional states, build trust, offer and seek forgiveness, and resolve conflict amicably.
Suppose you have limited time to address an issue, consider experts who are immediately available. However, ensure you outline and implement team communication rules that highlight mutual respect and equal treatment.
Determine how much time each person can commit to the task and clarify the expectations and goals from the start for accountability purposes.
It’s essential to have the right individuals with relevant experience and skills. Including people with little to contribute to an already small group will affect your progress and ability to come up with durable and efficient solutions.
Remember to assess each member’s teamwork factor. Having someone with great skills but who doesn’t collaborate well can affect the team negatively, as opposed to having someone with a lower skill level but excellent people skills that will keep the team motivated and united.
Ready to tackle challenges faster?
10 Guidelines for Running a High-Performing Tiger Team
There’s no single way to run a high-performing tiger team, primarily due to their flexible nature. Following these guidelines will help provide your team with the direction and structure they need to resolve complex problems faster.1. Understand and Define the Issue
Every tiger team member must deeply understand the current issue and its root cause. This understanding simplifies the problem-solving process and forms the basis for the overall goals and objectives. You may discuss the challenge as a group to align everyone from the beginning and answer questions like:- When did the problem arise?
- How did it start and progress?
- Where did it occur?
- Who does it affect or involve?
- What happens during the problem and what processes does it affect?
- Why does the problem recur and why is the impact so great?
2. Outline Clear Communication Guidelines and Individual Responsibilities
Every member of your tiger team should be clear on everyone’s responsibilities and roles. Clarifying responsibilities ensures accountability and prevents wasting time trying to figure out who needs to do what. You must also have a clear communication plan that specifies how to engage and share information. Be precise about what to communicate to whom, when, and through which channels.3. Monitor Goals
Goals provide tiger teams with a clear sense of direction to guide their work. These goals outline what success means, making it easier to determine the team’s progress. The OKR (Objectives and Key Results) goal-setting methodology is more suitable as it helps you monitor particular aspects of the team’s roles.4. Establish Asynchronous Communication
Most tiger teams consist of experts who are already engaged in other areas, so expecting everyone to be physically present at the same time may be unrealistic. Too many meetings can also clutter schedules and prevent team members from focusing on the real work. It’s essential to strike a healthy balance between asynchronous and in-person communication using advanced platforms that streamline communication. Doing so keeps everyone connected and allows team members to work individually and brainstorm where necessary.