“We need to put aside our selfish impulses and wants and subsume those for helping make our colleagues successful and ultimately the team successful.”

Mark and Andrew are joined by Dave Winsborough, an organisational psychologist, entrepreneur and author. We explore the differences between teams and groups, the challenges of artificial team stimulation, the importance of psychological safety, the power of rituals in teams, and the role of personality in team dynamics. We also discuss the misuse of personality tests and the value of team reflection.

This episode highlights the complexities and nuances of teamwork and provides insights for individuals and leaders looking to enhance team performance.

Pass it on resources
In this episode the following resources were mentioned, or recommended by Dave:

• Dave Winsborough: Fusion: the psychology of teams
• Deeper Signals: https://www.deepersignals.com/
• Douglas Hofstadter: Godel, Escher, Bach
• Michael Tomasello: Why we cooperate
• Ron Carucci: How leaders fake psychological safety
• Suzanne Bell: Team Composition and the ABCs of Teamwork

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:26 The Misconception of Teams in Organizations
03:55 Team Zeitgeist in Modern Organizations
06:08 The Organic Formation of Effective Teams
07:08 Shared Intentions and Team Dynamics
08:07 The Misinterpretation of Sports Teams in Business
10:18 Implementing Shared Intentions in Team Management
12:23 Psychological Safety and Team Communication
17:48 The Role of Team Building Activities
20:21 Critique of Traditional Team Building Approaches
22:32 Effective Team Building and Followership Training
26:56 Personality Traits and Team Composition
33:02 Using Personality Assessments in Teams
35:31 Deeper Signals: A Modern Approach to Team Assessment
37:22 Balancing Personalities in Team Composition
43:45 Self-Reflection and Improvement in Teams
47:51 Optimizing Team Performance Through Personality Insights
52:57 Quick Fire Questions: Best Team Memory and Red Flags
53:28 Resource Recommendations for Teamwork Insights

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman described how teams move through stages of team maturity, which he christened "forming, storming, norming, and performing".

In this episode, Andrew and Mark delve into the intricacies of Bruce Tuckman's famous team development model. They discuss its origins, practical applications, limitations, and the impact on modern team dynamics. 

We explore Tuckman's background, the history of the model and the paper that introduced it, modern criticism of the model and its relevance in today's organisational contexts. 

In this episode we talk about:

• An introduction to the Tuckman Model: An overview of the forming, storming, norming, and performing stages, highlighting its widespread use and common misconceptions.
• The origins of the Tuckman Model: Tracing the roots of Tuckman's research, its methodological background, and the historical context of its development.
• Insights from "Developmental Sequence in Small Groups": Analysing Tuckman's original paper, its focus, and the critical reception it received.
• A tour through Tuckman's Stages: An exploration of each stage in the Tuckman model, discussing the dynamics and challenges at each phase.
• Critiques and Practical Limitations: Examining how the Tuckman model is applied in real-world settings, its limitations, and misinterpretations in organisational psychology.
• Rethinking Tuckman's Behaviours: Considering Tuckman's stages as continuous behaviours rather than a linear process.
• Teamwork as an Ongoing Process: Emphasising the continuous nature of teamwork and the importance of conflict and collaboration.

Chapters
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:01:30] Origins of the Tuckman Model
[00:03:04] Tuckman's Background and Influence
[00:08:39] Analysis of Tuckman's paper, "Developmental Sequence in Small Groups"
[00:12:50] Critiques of the Tuckman Model
[00:17:54] The Stages of the Tuckman Model
[00:18:39] The Forming Stage
[00:22:45] Impact of Group Dynamics on the Tuckman Model
[00:31:04] Alternative View of Tuckman's Behaviors
[00:32:33] The Importance of Teamwork as an Ongoing Process
[00:37:01] The Norming Phase in Tuckman's Model
[00:41:06] Transition from Norming to Performing
[00:45:49] The Performing Stage and Leadership Flexibility
[00:52:18] The Adjourning Stage: Reflection and Celebration
[00:55:19] Final Thoughts on Tuckman's Model

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington

In this episode of "Teamcraft," co-hosts Mark Ridley and Andrew Maclaren discuss the evolution of teamwork from its early origins in human and primate ancestors to modern practices in various industries. They explore how teamwork has been influenced by historical, societal, and technological changes, emphasising the adaptability and uniqueness of human collaboration.

In this episode we talk about:

• The Evolution of Teamwork from our early human ancestors to modern times, highlighting key evolutionary milestones.
• The Human Capacity for Teamwork, looking at our unique human capabilities for collaboration, including altruistic and mutualistic cooperation.
• The Role of Communication and Trust in teamwork and the importance of effective communication and trust in forming successful teams.
• The Influence of Japanese Philosophy on management, looking at the role of Japanese industrial practices, particularly the Toyota Production System, on modern teamwork concepts.
• The Space Age and the Digital Age, and how the transition to the digital age and its impact on teamwork, including the shift towards more integrated socio-technical systems.

Something to Share:

• Why We Cooperate by Michael Tomasello
• The Naked Pilot: The Human Factor in Aircraft Accidents by David Beatty
• Digital Apollo by David Mindell

00:00:00 - Intro  

00:01:00 - The History of Teamwork: From Primates to Early Humans  

00:03:00 - The Evolution of Teamwork: From Early Humans to Homo Sapiens  

00:04:00 - The Unique Capability of Humans for Teamwork  

00:07:00 - The Evolutionary Traits and Brain Development in Humans  

00:08:00 - The Concept of Mutualistic and Altruistic Collaboration  

00:12:00 - The Role of Communication and Trust in Teamwork  

00:13:00 - The Impact of Evolutionary Traits on Modern Teamwork  

00:20:00 - The Influence of Japanese Philosophy on Teamwork  

00:24:00 - The Role of Language in Teamwork  

00:26:00 - The Impact of Digital Age on Teamwork  

00:31:00 - The Current State of Teamwork  

00:55:00 - Conclusion and Recommendations  

This podcast episode offers a  view of the evolution and significance of teamwork throughout human history, with insights into its current state and future directions.

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