distributed teams maximising your chances of success · organisational & relationship systems...

Distributed Teams

Maximising Your

Chances Of Success

Tom Reynolds Copyright © 2015 The Agile Mindset Ltd

Tom Reynolds

2

@tomjreynolds

uk.linkedin.com/in/tomjreynolds

Agile Coach & Trainer

Organisational & Relationship Systems Coach

25+ years in software development

Multi Certified Trainer

Kanban

SAFe

Agile since 2007

Collaborating Co-Located

Team 1

UK Poland

Team 2

Images from Visual AGILExicon a trademark of Innolution LLC & Kenneth S Rubin

Deliberately Distributed

Team 1

UK

Team 1

Poland

Team 2

UK

Team 2

Poland

Images from Visual

AGILExicon a trademark of

Innolution LLC & Kenneth S

Rubin

Our Goal

A harmonious team that works as

effectively as a co-located team

delivering a single goal as one

cohesive unit

In case you

need to edit

Start the

right wayCreate

shared

working

experiences

Create

shared

social

experiences

Build trust

Working Together On-Site

Create The ConditionsTeam Start Up’s

Shared vision

Expectations for high

performance

Working agreements

Journey lines

Start The Right Way

Working Together

Mentoring and pairing

Delivering real work as a

team – Early success

Building technical

skills as a team

Empowered and self

organising team

culture

Create Shared Working Experiences

Creates Experiences

Creates Social CapitalPlaying Together

Team lunches

Know each other on a

personal level

Evening events

Have fun

Create Shared Social Experiences

Starting The Right

Way

Shared Working

Experiences

Shared Social

Experiences

TRUST

Trust Built By Shared Experiences

Allow teams

to remain

strong and

together in

stormy times

Bind people

together

Without Trust Built By Shared Experiences

Communication

breakdownIsolation

Them and us

Arguments

Shared Experiences

Rule

In case you

need to edit

Working

agreements

Impact on

you and the

practicalities

Promoting

culture and

communication

Sustainability

Preparing To Work Off-Site

Who

Team decides on what

they are

Team owns them

Working Agreements

WhyWho

Team decides on what

they are

Consider the difficulties

they will face

Team owns them

Shared understanding

of our responsibilities

to one another

Working Agreements

Working Agreements For Self Measurement

7

8

8

759

7

8

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Appropriate use of technology

Updating of online tool

Voice communication over typed

Maintenance of physical board

Team meetings when off site

Response times to emails

Awareness of communication messages

Maintaining our working culture

Team average of our off site working agreements

The Daily Standup

Voice communication

Visual communication

Impact On You And The Practicalities

WhyThe Daily Standup

Voice communication

One team who are in it

together

Visual communication

Avoids isolation

Impact On You And The Practicalities

RetrospectivesSprint Review &

Planning

How do people stay

involved and

engaged?

How does it affect

planning?

How will people

contribute?

How do standard

exercises work?

Impact On You And The Practicalities

CommunicationCulture

Take time to

understand the

different cultures

Turn the uncomfortable

into the comfortable

Acknowledge

significant cultural

differences

Self organization is

increasingly important

Promoting Culture And Communication

35

89

66

35

25

68

60

64

93

32

77

48

56

40

61

49

65

63

49

Power Distance Index Individulaism Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index Long Term Orientation

Cultural Differences

UK Poland India South Africa

Source –

Geert Hofstede

35

89

66

35

25

68

60

64

93

32

77

48

56

40

61

49

65

63

49

Power Distance Index Individulaism Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index Long Term Orientation

Cultural Differences

UK Poland India South Africa

Source –

Geert Hofstede

PDI – Power Distance Index

The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions

and organisations within a country expect and accept that

power is distributed unequally

35

89

66

35

25

68

60

64

93

32

77

48

56

40

61

49

65

63

49

Power Distance Index Individulaism Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index Long Term Orientation

Cultural Differences

UK Poland India South Africa

Source –

Geert Hofstede

IND – Individualism

The degree of interdependence a society

maintains amongst its members

35

89

66

35

25

68

60

64

93

32

77

48

56

40

61

49

65

63

49

Power Distance Index Individulaism Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index Long Term Orientation

Cultural Differences

UK Poland India South Africa

Source –

Geert Hofstede

MAS – Masculinity /

Femininity

The fundamental issue here is

what motivates people, wanting

to be the best (masculine) or

liking what you do (feminine)

35

89

66

35

25

68

60

64

93

32

77

48

56

40

61

49

65

63

49

Power Distance Index Individulaism Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index Long Term Orientation

Cultural Differences

UK Poland India South Africa

Source –

Geert Hofstede

MAS – Masculinity /

Femininity

The fundamental issue here is

what motivates people, wanting

to be the best (masculine) or

liking what you do (feminine)

UAI – Uncertainty Avoidance

Index

The extent to which the members of a culture

feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown

situations and have created beliefs and

institutions that try to avoid these

35

89

66

35

25

68

60

64

93

32

77

48

56

40

61

49

65

63

49

Power Distance Index Individulaism Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Index Long Term Orientation

Cultural Differences

UK Poland India South Africa

LTO – Long Term Orientation

The extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future-

orientated perspective rather than a conventional historical

short-term point of view

Note – South Africa not measured

NurtureCultivate

Re-seed the personal

ties

TrustRe-seed the shared

experiences

Relationships

Sustainability

Conclusions

Team 1

UK

Team 1

Poland

Can deliberately distributed teams

work?

Does it require additional effort?

Do you have to constantly work at

it?

Is it easy?

If you don’t put the effort in will it

work?

If the team are not highly self

organising will it work?

Can deliberately distributed teams

work? Yes

Does it require additional effort? Yes

Do you have to constantly work at

it? Yes

Is it easy? No

If you don’t put the effort in will it

work? No

If the team are not highly self

organising will it work? NoImages from Visual AGILExicon a trademark of Innolution LLC & Kenneth S Rubin

Questions?

@tomjreynolds

uk.linkedin.com/in/tomjreynolds