Team dynamics according to Bruce Thakman: what the experience of submariners teaches us
In the last video, we talked about the fact that the team should have a mammoth - a common shared goal that can be achieved only by everyone. But only goals are not enough, because after the formation of a team, sociological effects come into play.
And then the American psychologist Bruce Takman came to our rescue, and he had the opportunity to examine thousands of teams commissioned by the US Department of Defense. The military tried to understand how the crews of submarines would lead themselves in autonomous navigation. Does anyone want to quit? Or is there to show the captain a black mark?
Based on these studies, Takman formulated his concept, which we now use with gratitude:
')
And here it is necessary to recall a few stories from real life ...
I first heard the Takman model in 2005, when we, the Intel team of managers, were taken to a 5-day training in Ireland. They were locked in a hotel near a medieval castle, tortured with training from 8:00 to 20:00 and Guinness after 20:00.
Since then, the model seems native and close, but damn it - every time it is amazing to observe its manifestations in real life! You put two smart people to work together. It would seem that here is a smart man and here is a smart man. Well, you work for the benefit of the fatherland and specifically taken capitalist company. So no - let us first take a fight, and only then can (not always!) Work! :)
Takman is a genius. The group always goes through these 4 phases to reach maximum performance. All we can do is to make the right managerial influences in each phase in order to speed up the entry into the Performing phase.
Interestingly, often the heat and the duration of the Storming stage are laid at the stage of team building. And about this there are a couple of thoughts and stories from life that we think should be discussed.
For example, there is a key difference in interviewing. Somewhere the interview is conducted only by the team manager, somewhere the team members are invited to interview newcomers. There is a difference between “I hired a real Java engineer here” and “Yes, we agree to work with this guy”. In the first case, there may be a desire to check a newbie for all sorts of different things, in the second - no.
The choice is a very interesting thing. Maybe remember. How did football teams form in childhood? There are two boys with a ball - captains. And they begin to choose their players in turn.
And here you stand like that, and you really want to be chosen. And you all do not choose. And finally! Someone says: come to me. Automatically, you begin to experience some positive emotions (appreciated!), And other emotions to the second captain (we will tear you up!).
If the choice is made correctly, then the one who was chosen is completely different with the one who chose it. The one who chose him is actually the reason why a person is in this place. And from this point of view, the key members of the team at the interview are better to be than not to be.
The sly manager launched the team in such a way that the first three stages of Takman were very quick. Proper Forming.
In 2006, I ended up at the Jim McCarthy Core Protocols training. Shortly before that, I tried unsuccessfully to read Jim's “Programming Team Spirit” book. The book did not go - either it suffered from a translation, or from the author, or a reader was caught. :)
In general, Jim at one time was the program manager of the 1st version of MS Visual Studio (I all want to find the person who saw this version :)), and then with his wife Michelle went into consulting and coaching.
Before the training, there were alarming forebodings of what would be like with a book. But the company sent, I could not refuse my boss, so I went. The training turned out to be AMAZING. Some unexpected techniques and tools of teamwork, sometimes controversial, but categorically interesting.
In particular, Jim told how he and Michelle are helping companies to reorganize.
Suppose a project with 5 teams is ending, and all people need to be distributed in a new project by new teams. How usually do? The chief executive sits down with the managers and distributes people to whom. After that, Comrade Takman hiccups on how often the Storming phase is remembered by people.
The McCarthy family suggests doing otherwise. With the management, they are trying to figure out which teams will be in the new project, how many people there should be in them and who will be the team manager. Then in the room on the blackboard write:
Engineers are given a sticker on which they write their name, after which they attach a sticker to the team where they want to work.
It is argued that the method always works except for one case - if an unsuccessful manager is appointed. In this case, you just need to replace the manager.
In short, we tested this method twice in Intel. It really works! In some mythical way, people are divided into teams. But if you think about it, it is not so surprising. Every engineer can choose:
And obviously. This reduces the intensity of Storming and helps the team to start doing business faster.
The Takman model is very easy to put on your past and present, to understand where you are now and how your teams have experienced all these phases in the past. We hope it will be useful.
If you have your own methods (or stories) about speeding up the formation of teams - write in the comments, or immediately in our story contest .
And in the next video we will try to bring together all the tools for working with the team that we own.
PS Previous articles about management tools:
And then the American psychologist Bruce Takman came to our rescue, and he had the opportunity to examine thousands of teams commissioned by the US Department of Defense. The military tried to understand how the crews of submarines would lead themselves in autonomous navigation. Does anyone want to quit? Or is there to show the captain a black mark?
Based on these studies, Takman formulated his concept, which we now use with gratitude:
')
And here it is necessary to recall a few stories from real life ...
I first heard the Takman model in 2005, when we, the Intel team of managers, were taken to a 5-day training in Ireland. They were locked in a hotel near a medieval castle, tortured with training from 8:00 to 20:00 and Guinness after 20:00.
Since then, the model seems native and close, but damn it - every time it is amazing to observe its manifestations in real life! You put two smart people to work together. It would seem that here is a smart man and here is a smart man. Well, you work for the benefit of the fatherland and specifically taken capitalist company. So no - let us first take a fight, and only then can (not always!) Work! :)
Takman is a genius. The group always goes through these 4 phases to reach maximum performance. All we can do is to make the right managerial influences in each phase in order to speed up the entry into the Performing phase.
Interestingly, often the heat and the duration of the Storming stage are laid at the stage of team building. And about this there are a couple of thoughts and stories from life that we think should be discussed.
On the impact of the selection of people on team formation
For example, there is a key difference in interviewing. Somewhere the interview is conducted only by the team manager, somewhere the team members are invited to interview newcomers. There is a difference between “I hired a real Java engineer here” and “Yes, we agree to work with this guy”. In the first case, there may be a desire to check a newbie for all sorts of different things, in the second - no.
The choice is a very interesting thing. Maybe remember. How did football teams form in childhood? There are two boys with a ball - captains. And they begin to choose their players in turn.
And here you stand like that, and you really want to be chosen. And you all do not choose. And finally! Someone says: come to me. Automatically, you begin to experience some positive emotions (appreciated!), And other emotions to the second captain (we will tear you up!).
An example from life. Five years ago, I realized that I could not cope with the paperwork. I’ll point out the wrong legal entity, then God forbid, I’m mistaken in total - in general, it’s not mine. And contracts became more and more - there was a need to hire an administrative assistant.
How to hire them is not clear. I hired programmers, testers. More precisely. the recruitment department sent them, and I interviewed. And then you work for yourself, and where to look for administrative assistants - God knows.
A spouse came to the rescue - she placed my small vacancy on a local women's forum.
The effect exceeded all expectations. I received 50 resumes. He felt like a major employer. Cleverly conducted a screening of resumes, left 10 candidates. Conducted telephone interviews. I did not have an office at that time, so for the whole day I occupied the cheburechnaya “Brynza” on Primorskaya metro station for personal interviews. He conducted 8 interviews, and almost burst from the pasties.
In the end, I chose Marina and we started working. Marina asked for training to see how this happens.
And here comes the training: a great group, office Yota, 24th floor, glass walls and views of the Gulf of Finland. Discussing the topic of interviews. Here, I say, I needed to hire an assistant. I had 50 resumes, I selected 10 candidates, conducted such interviews, these interviews. In the end, I decided that I would work with Marina.
Look, Marina’s eyes are really clicking. I only then realized that it was probably damn nice to be the best of 50 people.
PS We are successfully working with Marina so far, she is a great fellow!
If the choice is made correctly, then the one who was chosen is completely different with the one who chose it. The one who chose him is actually the reason why a person is in this place. And from this point of view, the key members of the team at the interview are better to be than not to be.
An example from life. A friend of mine shared this story from his new work:
The moment from the beginning of the last project. Four people gathered in the room: the chief technical officer of the office, two local programmers and me. It should be noted that several years ago the chief was at the head of his own office, which later merged with this one. That is, he has enough organizational knowledge. So he says: guys, today the strongest team has gathered here, which I have seen in this office in the last five years. Because the task is difficult, time is short, the client is important, etc.
The rest was no longer very important, because it was very nice to be included in the best team. It motivates.
The sly manager launched the team in such a way that the first three stages of Takman were very quick. Proper Forming.
Jim McCarthy and Bottom Reform
In 2006, I ended up at the Jim McCarthy Core Protocols training. Shortly before that, I tried unsuccessfully to read Jim's “Programming Team Spirit” book. The book did not go - either it suffered from a translation, or from the author, or a reader was caught. :)
In general, Jim at one time was the program manager of the 1st version of MS Visual Studio (I all want to find the person who saw this version :)), and then with his wife Michelle went into consulting and coaching.
Before the training, there were alarming forebodings of what would be like with a book. But the company sent, I could not refuse my boss, so I went. The training turned out to be AMAZING. Some unexpected techniques and tools of teamwork, sometimes controversial, but categorically interesting.
In particular, Jim told how he and Michelle are helping companies to reorganize.
Suppose a project with 5 teams is ending, and all people need to be distributed in a new project by new teams. How usually do? The chief executive sits down with the managers and distributes people to whom. After that, Comrade Takman hiccups on how often the Storming phase is remembered by people.
The McCarthy family suggests doing otherwise. With the management, they are trying to figure out which teams will be in the new project, how many people there should be in them and who will be the team manager. Then in the room on the blackboard write:
- Front-End, 7 people, manager: Vasechkin
- Back-End, 4 people, manager: Petechkin
- Mobile, 4 persons, manager: Sashechkin
- Testing, 6 people, manager: Olechkina
- Systems analysts, 3 people, manager: Mashechkina
Engineers are given a sticker on which they write their name, after which they attach a sticker to the team where they want to work.
It is argued that the method always works except for one case - if an unsuccessful manager is appointed. In this case, you just need to replace the manager.
In short, we tested this method twice in Intel. It really works! In some mythical way, people are divided into teams. But if you think about it, it is not so surprising. Every engineer can choose:
- The technology area in which he wants to work
- The manager he wants to work with
- Colleagues with whom he wants to work
And obviously. This reduces the intensity of Storming and helps the team to start doing business faster.
Instead of an afterword
The Takman model is very easy to put on your past and present, to understand where you are now and how your teams have experienced all these phases in the past. We hope it will be useful.
If you have your own methods (or stories) about speeding up the formation of teams - write in the comments, or immediately in our story contest .
And in the next video we will try to bring together all the tools for working with the team that we own.
PS Previous articles about management tools:
- Management tools: How to explain when you feel one place?
- Andragogue Practitioner Tips: How We Learn
- Management Tools: How to play non-linear chess
- Managerial tools: Why do customers demand stupid reports?
- Management tools: 5 questions for clarification purposes or why do you need a BMW X5?
- Managerial tools: 4 principles of constructive communication, or why do we live in the mode of achievement?
- Managerial tools: 4-phase algorithm for solving problems with people or “What do you want if you are such a crap manager?”
- Management tools: How to unwittingly zaprolit the interlocutor and get a minus in karma
- Management tools: A set of furniture keys or how to come up with constructive arguments
- Management tools: mind map “Formula of working with people”
- Managerial tools: need formula or how are we squeezed?
- Management tools: Mammoth as the main principle of team building
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/226905/
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