Teamcraft – Details, episodes & analysis

In this Teamcraft episode, continuing the earlier discussion in Part 1, Andrew and Mark dive deeper into the challenges and dynamics of virtual teams. They build on previous discussions, drawing from real-world examples, research insights, and their own experiences to explore the nuances of remote and hybrid team collaboration.

Exploring communication protocols, cultural differences, and the unique demands of virtual team leadership, they discuss practical tips for fostering connection and managing conflict in virtual settings. Drawing on examples from GitLab, Amazon, and their own experiences, Andrew and Mark provide valuable insights for anyone working in or managing a virtual team.

Key themes include the impact of time zones, communication protocols, cultural differences, leadership in virtual teams, and strategies for fostering a collaborative, inclusive virtual work environment.

Our top takeaways for Virtual Team success

1. Intentional Communication Protocols: Clear, consistent, and explicit communication is critical for avoiding misinterpretations and ensuring team cohesion.
2. Social Capital Building: Bonding within teams and bridging across the organization is crucial for team success and requires deliberate efforts.
3. Leadership Adaptation: Remote team leaders should focus on outcome-based performance management and foster trust.
4. Inclusivity and Adaptability: Leverage the potential of virtual teams to create a more inclusive work environment and adapt practices to suit the virtual format.

Chapters with Timestamps

• 00:43 Intro
• 06:45 Fischer & Mossier's 'Three Ts'
• 14:51 How Organisations can adapt to remote work
• 18:29 How conflict can develop in virtual teams
• 23:58 Etiquette for Virtual Teams
• 26:37 Leadership of Virtual Teams
• 28:22 Social Capital - Bonding Capital and Bridging Capital
• 30:25 The importance of relationships
• 32:24 Building your bank account of social capital
• 38:05 Top Takeaways
• 42:26 The power of asynchronous culture
• 43:46 Decide, Inform, Plan, Solve
• 49:23 British workplaces at pub o'clock
• 56:38 Outro

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

In this episode, Mark Ridley and Andrew Maclaren explore the evolution and challenges of virtual teams. Inspired by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s recent call for employees to return to the office, our hosts discuss what defines a virtual team, the importance of trust and shared context, and how physical environments impact team dynamics. 

Historical examples, from Byzantine smoke signals to Apollo missions, illustrate that remote teamwork has been around longer than we may think. They also discuss what defines a virtual team, the importance of trust and shared context, and how physical environments impact team dynamics. 

Topics include:

• Andy Jassy's memo to Amazon employees
• The definition and variations of virtual teams
• Historical examples of remote coordination
• Challenges in building trust and common ground remotely
• The impact of shared environments on teamwork
• Communication challenges and the importance of consistency

Coming Up in Part 2: Andrew and Mark will explore more on communication strategies, protocols, and actionable recommendations for enhancing virtual team collaboration.

Chapters

• 00:00 Virtual Teams Part 1
• 00:43 Intro
• 02:37 Andy Jassy's message to Amazon Staff
• 04:30 Executive Comms and the Return to Office message
• 07:47 Amazon Web Services & Stanford article on hybrid working
• 10:40 Defining a virtual team
• 21:43 The virtual team on Apollo 7
• 26:49 Trust in teams
• 34:22 Common Ground in teams
• 39:25 Rhythms of the environment
• 42:37 Next Episode

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Communication is arguably the most important criteria for a team to exist. Without communication we can't share a goal, distribute tasks or celebrate a success. 

In this epidsode, Andrew introduces research which considers how teams are created through communication, and Mark reflects on the less obvious but powerful impact that cultural differences have on communication in teams.

In this episode we talk about:

• Teams are constituted through communication - the way team members talk to each other forms the substance of the team's work. This is called the "communicative constitution of teams" (CCT).
• Communication happens on multiple levels in teams - strategic, tactical, operational, real-time. Different cadences of communication serve different purposes.
• Teams are nested structures of individuals, pairs, triads, groups. Communication flows through these structures.
• Cultural differences affect how communication is interpreted. Teams should be explicit about communication norms to avoid misunderstandings.
• Conventions of language can negatively impact teams if not consciously examined. New team members can provide an outside perspective.
• Checklists are a form of standardized communication that represent strategic priorities, not incompetence.

Something to Share

• The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
• An Officer Not a Gentleman by Mandy Hickson
• The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Chapters
00:00:00 - Introductions

00:01:57 - Communicative constitution of teams (CCT)

00:07:29 - Communication is a necessity for teamwork

00:09:39 - Two dimensions in tension

00:14:45 - Cultural differences in communication

00:16:20 - Negative impact of language conventions

00:19:10 - The disruptive power of language

00:25:45 - Checklists

00:34:14 - Teams are nested structures

00:42:48 - But teams rarely form themselves

00:48:59 - Cultural differences in communication

01:03:50 - It's hard to recognise culture when you're in it

01:06:45 - Creative industries vs tech industries

01:13:43 - Does anyone want a cup of tea?

01:15:48 - Takeaways

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Our guest today is Andrew MacLaren. For those of you who have been following the series, you’ll know that Andrew is the co-host of the Teamcraft podcast. We received some feedback that people would like to hear a bit about us, how we got to be so interested in teamwork and what our own current thinking is on some of the themes we cover in our conversations with guests.

Dr Andrew MacLaren is a lecturer based at the CREWS research centre at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. His research is principally concerned with the sociolinguistics of teamwork: how teams communicate. Some of the teamwork projects he is involved in include astronaut communication in deep space exploration and the communication processes of healthcare teams in trauma scenarios. He has researched and authored textbooks, book chapters, peer-reviewed articles and international conference papers on subjects from the British Army in Afghanistan, professional kitchen teams and startup investing.

Before entering academia, Andrew spent 10 years working as a tennis coach and as you’ll hear in today’s episode, he still sees a tennis court as his spiritual home. 

Expect to hear about...

• The dysfunction of teams in academia,
• The “expert paradox” and how it impacts team decision making,
• The importance of language as a non-technical team skill, and...
• The risks caused by the ‘newness’ of teams

Something to Share
Talk: The science of conversation by Elizabeth Stokoe

Links
Andrew on Linkedin

Read some recent teamwork articles written by Andrew:
There's no 'I' in team, but there is a 'meta'
The liability of newness of teams
Human Autonomous Teaming: The holy grail of AI

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

If you’ve listened to the podcast so far, you’ll know that Mark is my co-host. We received some feedback that people would like to hear a bit about us, how we got to be so interested in teamwork and what our own current thinking is on some of the themes we cover in our conversations with guests. Mark is a Chief Technology Officer with over two decades of experience that span the dotcom boom and crash and a global technology revolution.

Expect to hear about:

• what tech gets right and wrong with teamwork.
• How an experience with the RAF changed Mark’s perspective on teamwork.
• Followership, Psychological safety, Trust and much more…

Something to Share
Work Rules! By Laszlo Bock

Links

https://ridley.co

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markridley/

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Luke is an international rugby player who plays for Edinburgh Rugby and the Scotland national team. Luke was recently part of Scotland’s successful six nations campaign, where they finished third, their highest finish in recent years. As someone who has progressed through the grass roots of rugby playing for Livingston and Currie Rugby, he has demonstrated his skills both technically and as a leader, recently captaining the Scotland As squad during their tour of South America.

Expect to hear about:

• How to handle team success and failure
• Focusing on the details of your role in a squad
• How tech stole the term scrum from rugby and never looked back
• The importance of connections with the wider team and support staff, and
• The humorous use of fines to enforce standards and build camaraderie

Something to Share
Luke’s ‘Pass it on’ resource is Surrounded by Idiots: The four types of Human Behaviour, by Thomas Erikson

Surrounded by Idiots: The four types of Human Behaviour, Thomas Erikson

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Susie served for 17 years as an Officer in the Royal Navy, where she was a Marine Engineer. After a service career that took her all over the world working on frigates and Aircraft carriers, she retired from the Navy and moved into the private sector, working in oil and gas. From there she moved to the charity sector where she worked as head of external relations for the veterans residences association. After 14 years there, she recently took up the position of Veteran’s Commissioner for Scotland. A public appointment that sees her responsible for the welfare and support for all British military veterans living in Scotland, of whom there are somewhere in the region of 250,000. In her role as Commissioner, Susie holds the Scottish Government and public services to account on how their policies and decisions impact the interests of Veterans.

Expect to hear about:

• Nested teams on a Navy ship
• Dealing with unexpected change and uncertainty
• Maintaining a sense of humour in a team
• Achieving unity of purpose, and
• Why teams don’t work in industry

Something to Share
Susie’s ‘Pass it on’ resource is Nelson: A Personal History, by Christopher Hibbert

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nelson-Personal-History-Christopher-Hibbert/dp/0201408007

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Alina is a Global Client Leader at WPP, a leading international marketing communications company. She has over 25 years of experience building global brands for large multinational clients, helping them grow their business through communications, experience, commerce and technology. Originally from the Ukraine and a US national, Alina has lived and worked in the UK, US, Australia and Germany, where she was CEO of Grey Advertising and, later, of DDB Tribal Group.

In today’s episode, we hear about Alina’s journey as a young advertising executive in New York to her current leadership role in one of the world’s largest advertising and communications companies. We discuss the importance of high professional standards in teams, the benefits of both working and playing together, how chemistry and shared culture is crucial to high performance, and the unexpected benefits of a scavenger hunt in the woods.

Something to Share

Alina's ‘Pass it on’ resource are the works of Frances X. Frei, in particular her TED video and podcast. You can also read her article ‘Begin with Trust’ at Harvard Business Review.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alina-kessel-0857832/

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Parser is a software development and digital transformation business, founded by Ricardo and Hernan in 2017 and with clients and offices around the world. Parser offer their clients expertise in Digital Strategy & Transformation, Digital Portfolio Management and Product Development, which is primarily achieved by placing Parser teams within their client’s organisation.

As CEO, Ricardo sets and drives Parser’s organisational vision. Before Parser, Ricardo was responsible for building large technology teams, and developed products for the likes of Google, Santander, Ford & Sony

As Chief Growth Officer, Hernán is responsible for Parser’s evolution and expansion. He has spent his career helping organisations such as JP Morgan, Disney and Deloitte to design, lead and launch their digital portfolios.

In this episode we hear about how Parser approach the challenge of delivering teams into other teams, how even in a technology company the challenges are usually related to people, and how stable teams aren’t always the best way to deliver innovation.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moral/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hernan-griboff-9857411b/
Website: https://parserdigital.com/

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

Our guest today is Lt Colonel Matt Johns MBE

After graduating from University, Matt started his career as an officer in the British Army in 2005, going through the Army’s world-renowned Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. This was an intense period for the UK armed forces with conflict going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Matt did multiple deployments as well as time in Kenya and Germany. He then went back to work in the delivery of the officer training programme at the Sandhurst Military Academy. From there Matt retired from the Army and co-founded Fieri leadership and development. A consultancy and education organisation that supports leadership development across all sectors from professional sport to pharmaceuticals. Fieri has a range of top level clients on its books, including Blue chip companies and Premier league football clubs.

Expect to hear about:

• Structure, rank and hierarchies in teams
• Action-centred leadership
• The muscle memory of teamwork and leadership
• Focusing on team results rather than individual results
• Everyday crises in management
• And How sometimes you don’t want a high performing team, just a performing team

Something to Share
Matt’s ‘Pass it on’ resource is Colin Powell’s 13 Rules of Leadership

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-johns-fieri1/

Website: https://fierileadership.com/

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington