Alexander Shevchenko, Chief Legal Officer at WebPay, offers a practical framework for managing large legal teams, from structure and systems to culture, communication, and trust.
Managing a large team (over 10 members) builds upon principles applicable to any team. These broadly include planning, leading, organising, staffing, and controlling. Members of any team (regardless of size) should be motivated, effectively assigned tasks, properly trained and resourced, given regular feedback, and guided by clear KPIs.
However, managing big teams has nuances. To meet them, follow the recommendations below:
1. Codify a strategy, values, and expectations:
While a strategy is important for any team, in a large team it becomes essential to ensure coordination across multiple individuals and sub-teams pursuing OKRs aligned with the overall business strategy.
The same applies to values and expectations. Since the team head cannot closely manage all teammates, codifying clear values and expectations ensures that everyone acts appropriately and consistently.
2. Determine a vertical team structure. Split the team into several sub-teams:
– Appoint sub-team leads with 4–6 direct reports each, and supervisors for groups of sub-teams (if necessary).
– Clearly define the areas of responsibility for each sub-team.
– Delegate to sub-team leads and supervisors an appropriate level of authority and trust them.
– Encourage autonomy while maintaining accountability.
– Focus on managing team leads and supervisors adapting the leadership style.
3. Put in place procedures/systems to standardize and scale workflows, such as:
– Decision-making.
– New member onboarding.
– Raising concerns and proposing initiatives.
– Reporting.
– Performance review.
– Conflict resolution.
– Resilience and business continuity.
Large teams typically require a dedicated role or a separate unit to handle operational tasks (e.g., automation, process improvement, cross-functional alignment, knowledge management, professional development coordination, succession planning, data analytics, and team budget management).
4. Create communication channels to share and receive information (e.g., updates, announcements, feedback) to/from a large group of people:
– Hold regular all-hands meetings.
– Create a team-wide forum and chats with middle-management (using the messaging platform adopted by the company).
5. Pay attention to bonding and fostering relationships:
In a big team, it is more difficult for members to get to know one another and build strong working relationships. Therefore, it is important to create bonding opportunities, such as team-building events, peer-training sessions, and informal get-togethers.
6. Manage differences among multiple people:
Large teams are more diverse in terms of personalities, religion and culture, ethnicity, and other factors. These differences influence communication and working styles and may introduce sensitivities. They should be acknowledged, respected, and thoughtfully addressed in day-to-day team management.
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