A One-Man Army: Navigating Solo in the Agency Department

---

Cartamundi headquarters, Turnhout, Belgium

As organizations strive for efficiency and flexibility, having a sole individual managing an entire department becomes a strategic choice. It’s not uncommon to have one person doing the job of a whole department. For small companies, that can be beneficial under certain circumstances, but for big companies, this choice brings more disadvantages than advantages.

The Advantages

Quick decision-making, focus specializations, and cost-efficiency are the main advantages of having one manager rather than a team. The budget allocation becomes much lower, the procedural passages faster, and the person is chosen precisely for the role and has perfect qualifications.

The Disadvantages

However, the disadvantages seem to outnumber the advantages: the amount of undivided workload can easily lead the employee to burnout; the limited collaboration creates a wall between the employee and the rest of the agency, as well as impedes diversity of ideas and perspectives; the risk of knowledge gap appears as soon as the individual is sick or leaves. In addition, while specific tasks might move along faster when it comes to big projects, inevitably, the pace is slowing down simply because of a lack of manpower to keep a stable and consistent working speed.

Lastly, performance and diversity, performance and amount of opinions, and performance and employee feeling of belonging have often been linked. It’s hard to achieve those things in a one-man army.

Why Big Companies Choose a Solo Approach

In large corporations, the decision to have one person manage a department may be driven by specific needs. For certain tasks or specialized roles, a dedicated individual can offer focused attention without the complexities that come with managing a team. This streamlined approach is often favored for quick project turnaround and specific skill requirements.

Tips for the Lone-Worker

A strategic approach is key:

• Effective Time Management:
  

Prioritize tasks based on their impact on the overall goals of the company.

• Clear Communication Channels:
  

Establish clear lines of communication with other departments. Transparency about workload and deadlines is vital for managing expectations and preventing potential bottlenecks and will make you feel like a part of the agency.

• Continuous Skill Development:
  

Stay updated with industry trends and continually develop skills. A one-man army must be adaptable and possess a diverse skill set to handle various challenges efficiently, but also teach skills and plan or even host workshops for their coworkers to develop these skills.

NEWS: Read more about how to cope and feel happy as a one-person team

“Take it slow, make a plan and set your priorities, try to slowly build a team around you ” - Britt Janssens, Head of Corporate Communications at Cartamundi / the only communication expert in the agency

To conclude, personally I believe there are several factors to take into account, but all in all being a part of a team boosts performance, as well as employee happiness. When you work alone you have only yourself and your mistakes to learn from, it's also harder to rely on others because they have a different field of expertise. While taking up the role of a one-(wo)man-army might be extremely beneficial for your career, I would suggest not rushing that decision.

NEWS: Read more about all the factors to consider when choosing who and how many people to hire