Understanding how collaboration improves productivity workshop

Understanding How Collaboration Improves

Productivity

Paul Boos

Agenda• Learn & execute the Power of 13 Collaboration Game through

several 'scenarios’

• Compare and debrief the results

• Discuss and post the highlights of learning

• Compare the experience to various models used to describe team dynamics and communication

• What can you do to improve collaboration?

• Discuss how participants will use the game

• Describe possible extensions and how this game has been used by the facilitator/co-facilitators

Collaboration:

Power of 13Simulation

This game was created at Agile Games 2014 by –

Jamie Gaull

Robert Smith

Peter Barzdines

Bobby Zhakov

Paul Boos

Power of 13

Goal:

Work off the the number of cards equal to the number of developers within your iteration’s length

Mechanics:

• We need a ‘Scrum Master’ and ‘Product Owner’ – everyone else is a development team member

• Each card is worked off whenever a 13 is rolled on 3 dice (~10% chance per roll)

• The product owner will count off the number of cards completed using a pen and paper

• The scrum master will use a suit of cards to count down your iteration of 13 work days (3 week Sprints, the other two days are sprint review, retro, and planning = 15 days)

• We will mark down what day you meet your goal and the total # of cards worked off

• Everyone but the Product Owner gets 3 dice to roll

Power of 13 :: Round 1

This round will simulate developers working alone in their silos/cubes on assigned work

• Each developer is responsible for completing a card from the backlog

• Each developer rolls the dice once per day; the scrum master keeps track of the 13 work days using the suit of cards he or she has

• If a dice roll has a sum total of exactly ‘13’, they state “my card is DONE.” The product owner turns marks it down. The developer stops work and pats himself on the back.

• Record cards completed as each person says they are ‘DONE’; also record what day the required # of stories was completed.

Power of 13 :: Round 2 This round will simulate pulling additional work after you complete work

• The team is still responsible for completing at least the number of cards from the backlog equal to the number of developers


• If a dice roll has a sum total of exactly ‘13’, they state “my card is DONE.” The product owner marks this down. The developer pats himself on the back; however he or she may now continue to roll on subsequent days and declare another card done for each ‘13’ they roll.

• Record cards that were completed and what day the required # of stories was completed.


• This round simulates collaborative pairing to complete work



• Once each developer has rolled, they work together in pairs (or triads for an odd numbered group) pooling their dice to pull as many sums of exactly ‘13’ on 3 dice as possible; each ’13’ identified equals a card completed. The Product Owner marks this down.



• This round simulates collaborative swarming to complete work



• Once each developer has rolled and placed the dice into a common pool, the team works together to pull as many sums of exactly ‘13’ on 3 dice as possible; each ’13’ identified equals a card worked. The Product Owner marks this down.


Collaboration:


Debrief

For the next 3 minutes, write down observations you

had from playing the game.

Write one item per sticky.

Then over the next 5 minutes discuss at your table to

find the common learning points or observations people

feel were seen. We’ll share these.

Part 1

Collaboration:


DebriefWhat did you notice happening?

What did the dice/rolls represent?

How did the effectiveness change in each round?

How does or does not this correlate

with how real work happens?

How did the coordination

in the last round feel?

What did allowing a person

to continue work simulate?

Part 2

Let’s Look at Some Models Important

to Understanding

Group Dynamics

Remember: All models are wrong

and some are useful!

Group Communications Patterns

Linear

Hub

&

Spoke

Network

Network Pattern =

Self-Organizing Team

Communications Paths = N(N-1)/2

Communication LimitsBased on -

log(N) = 0.093 + 3.389 log(CR) (1) (r2=0.764, t34=10.35, p<0.001)

The upper limit of how many people that can regularly communicate

and maintain stable relationships.

150

Based on –

Tribal Reciprocity; the limit on the number of people that will give

with an expectation they will receive in kind.

50

Based on –

Short term memory limit for bits of information used in judgement.

This limits the number of people with which we can have deep

communication.

5

Evo

lutio

nary

Psych

olo

gy

Cu

ltura

l

An

thro

po

log

yC

og

nitiv

e

Psych

olo

gy

Team Performance Predictors

ENERGY

“…when someone announces a new discovery in the same group, excitement and energy skyrocket as all the members start talking to one another at once.”

ENGAGEMENT

“all members of a team have relatively equal and reasonably high energy with all other members, engagement is extremely strong.”

EXPLORATION

“…seek more outside connections…”

Based on Sociometric Research by Dr Alex (Sandy) Pentland

Communications Patterns Predict

Successful TeamsSuccessful Teams:

1. Everyone on the team talks and listens in roughly equal measure, keeping contributions short and sweet.

2. Members face one another, and their conversations and gestures are energetic.

3. Members connect directly with one another—not just with the team leader.

4. Members carry on back-channel or side conversations within the team.

5. Members periodically break, go exploring outside the team, and bring information back.


Sociometric Measurement of Team

Communications


The Johari Window

Known to Self Unknown to Self

Know

n t

o O

thers

Unknow

n t

o O

thers

OPEN

AREA

BLIND

AREA

HIDDEN

AREA

UNKNOWN

AREA

The Johari Window


Know

n t

o O

thers

Unknow

n t

o O

thers

FEEDBACK

DISCLOSURESHARED

DISCOVERY

OPEN

AREA

BLIND

AREA

HIDDEN

AREA

UNKNOWN

AREA

The Johari Window


Know

n t

o O

thers

Unknow

n t

o O

thers

TELL

ASK

FEEDBACK

DISCLOSURESHARED

DISCOVERY

OPEN

AREA

BLIND

AREA

HIDDEN

AREA

UNKNOWN

AREA

The Johari Window


Know

n t

o O

thers

Unknow

n t

o O

thers

TELL

ASK

FEEDBACK

DISCLOSURESHARED

DISCOVERY

OPEN

AREA

BLIND

AREA

HIDDEN

AREA

UNKNOWN

AREA

Anyone have a 4?

I have

a 4!

Information Transfer Occurs Both

Explicitly and Tacitly

Tacit transfer builds trust

Explicit transfer creates artifacts

Focusing = (Heads-Down) Work Alone

Collaboration = f( [WorkF])

Learning = Building Knowledge with Explicit Thinking

Socializing = Building Trust + Building Knowledge Innovation

Σn

1

Nonaka Model

More Data

“82% of white collar workers feel they need to partner with others throughout the workday to

get work done”

Knowledge Work = Social Activity

Study from Steelcase on Future Workspaces

Tuckman Stages of Group

Development

Focus o

n W

ork

Relationship/Trust

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing


Development

Focus o

n W

ork

Relationship/Trust

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

First day or

two…


Development

Focus o

n W

ork

Relationship/Trust

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Days 2-3 to 5-

7…


Development

Focus o

n W

ork

Relationship/Trust

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Days 5-7 to 8-

9…


Development

Focus o

n W

ork

Relationship/Trust

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Days 8-9

on…

As a Team Forms, Only Explicit Info

Is Known

Next is Storming; People Still

Share Explicitly

On to Norming! Now Things Begin

to Get Cooking

Performing; People Share Informally

and Comfortably Frequently

“Osmotic Communication!”

- Alistair Cockburn

Collaboration – What Helps &

Hinders• At your table, create a list of items that

promote collaboration.– What forces are at play that help people to want

to collaborate?

• Create a list of items that impede collaboration.– What forces are at work that hinder people from

wanting to collaborate?

• Assign a weight to each item from 1-5

• Timebox of 3 min

• Elect a spokesperson; they will get 1 min to brief out the most significant findings.

Promotes Impedes

Collaboration – Forcefield Analysis

The Importance of

Teaming Agreements

• Create mutual expectations

• How we make decisions

• Keep commitments

• Have fun

As we fulfill these, we create trust while also

moving towards our end goal.

Thanks - Keep in Touch

Paul Boos

IT Executive Coach

703-307-4322

[email protected]

@paul_boos

mailto:[email protected]

Technology

Understanding how collaboration improves productivity workshop