One place where I believe we tolerate a huge amount of waste is the way we lead and participate in work teams. My bookshelf abounds with titles such as “Why Teams don’t Work” and theories such as the Superteam (consisting of only one person). If you ask people if they are currently part of a “High Performing Team” most people, if they are being honest, will say “No” or “I am not sure”. This is the root of the problem.

My thesis is that all of us have at some points in our lives been part of at least one high-performing team – it may just not have been in our working lives. I argue that the characteristics of high-performing teams can show up very strongly in a number of non-work areas including:

• Being part of a sports team
• Being in a music band or orchestra or choir
• Being on an adventure holiday (including skiing and snow-boarding)
• Being on holiday with your family in an unfamiliar city
• Being part of a pressure group or political campaign

So my provocation is this – most of us already know how to do high-performing teams so why don’t we bring these sensibilities to with us to work?

That’s my challenge to you – democratize your workteams and make them more effective and less frustrating by using your “team experiences” from outside work!

To find out more you can watch my TEDx video or you can download a free copy of  The Bioteaming Manifesto (34 pages)

Ken Thompson is an Author, Consultant, Speaker, Technologist and Entrepreneur on High Performing Teams and Collaborative Enterprise and can be contacted on LinkedIN at http://www.linkedin.com/in/bioteams

We’ve all seen the pedestals that Google and Zappos sit on. Their importance to us resides in giving the rest of us something to strive towards. Without the bar set high, we will never reach great heights, accomplish incredible feats, and move to becoming the trend setter.

During the Romantic Era, German philosopher Immanuel Kant formulated an alternative definition for “enlightenment” similar to the German concept bildung: “Enlightenment is a man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity.” This immaturity is not due to a lack of understanding but lack of creativity and courage to think independently. For German scholar, Johann Herder, “Bildung was the totality of experiences that provide a coherent identity, and sense of common destiny, to a people.”

Strong cultures cannot be bought or created by means of currency. Rather, money provides additional channels in which cultures are fostered and grown. Culture is deep seeded, formed around shared purpose, goals, and points of view.

Author Gary Weaver created an iceberg analogy of culture where see, hear, and touch sat at the top, above the water line. Meanwhile beliefs, values, thought patterns, and myths were the core of iceberg, responsible for the remaining, unseen 90% of cultural embodiment. Too often companies spend their time focusing on the tip of the iceberg by providing excess amenities and a luxurious work environment. While these things are all good and helpful, they fail to connect employees on deeper issues that are responsible for interconnectedness. They fail to reach what motivates employees and challenges them to bring their “A” game.

Each company is made up of unique individuals, spanning from across the globe. There is no single means of building culture that works across the board. The key to building culture is focusing on commonalities or creating an environment in which the commonalities can surface.

Brainpark represents nationalities from 5 different continents while employing a mere 22 people; each individual bringing a unique lifetime of experiences and values to the company environment. Our challenge has been figuring out what types of culture do we want and how can we encompass the backgrounds of all members without anyone feeling stepped on or left out. Our solution: create an atmosphere which requires people to trust and share with each other, while allowing them to present their ideas as they feel comfortable without fear of negative criticism.

Like most startups, budget is tight and room for wiggle and waste is minimal, but this does not provide an excuse for overlooking company culture. Every quarter our disparate company comes together on a retreat which allows us maintain and grow our culture. As a collaboration software company focusing on disparate workers, this next statement comes with much humility. No amount of software can ever replace the combination of face-to-face and physical presence. Not Facebook, Apple’s Face Time, Cisco’s Telepresence, nor Brainpark (we are just the next best option). For us, these retreats are essential because they allow our teams to learn and understand each other’s values and thought patterns, exposing the underbelly of the cultural iceberg.

Most of the Brainpark staff will agree that our last retreat’s most memorable moments were the campfires and making the video about our culture. At the end of the day, finished with brainstorming sessions and group activities, sitting on log benches around a stone circled campfire, cracking open the beers could not have been more fitting. It was at that point we were able to look back at the day and reflect on our time working together. Taking time to step back and reflect at work is just as important for company success as reflection is in your personal life. It allows you to take pride in your work as well as critique for the future. For us at Brainpark, without the campfires and time to look back at our day, we would never have had the chance to open up and learn about one another. We would have never learned what is important to our colleagues and how it affects us.

Below is a fun video we made at our last retreat about our company culture. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it. We believe in creating an open culture, comfortable with people outside the company seeing how we operate. What would it take for your company to feel comfortable with outsiders seeing your culture?

Apparently one way to trap a monkey is to place a vase-like jar in a tree or on the jungle floor with some fruit or nuts in it. The monkey finds the container and reaches in to grab the goodies only to discover that his hand is stuck due to a fistful of food. The monkey ends up getting trapped because it is unwilling to let go of what its holding.

Unfortunately we find a lot of similar behavior in the workplace; people who hoard information that end up being trapped in a limited experience of life and work. Some of this comes from the old Baconian adage “Knowledge is Power” which led boomers to believe they would have the upper hand if they knew more than their peers. Another reason this type of behavior exists in the workplace is a psychological phenomenon call Impostor Syndrome. Those with the syndrome remain convinced internally they do not deserve the success they have achieved and are actually frauds. This plays out by people not sharing information in case someone “catches them out” and makes them look stupid.

The topic of sharing in the workplace has become a topic of interest as social media continues to win the hearts and minds of younger generations and early adopters. Experienced users of social media need no convincing that sharing trumps hoarding. The benefits of community support, comraderie, awareness, opinions, advice, and knowing what others are thinking are enough to keep them addicted to this more open and informed lifestyle. Business cynics look at social media as a time suck just as they did when Instant Messaging emerged. Time will eventually show that these tools have become an outlet for how people want to live and the closed lifestyle will only remain with those with a closed mind.

One way to help work with coworkers who are nervous or resistant to sharing is to lead them into a taste of it. If your company is using Brainpark we recommend that you choose a specific project or topic where you can direct all communication through the product instead of trying to hope that everyone will jump in and start sharing everything immediately. It is best to start where people are at and lead them into an experience gradually. This strategy is also habit forming so once someone has positive experiences in one aspect of their work they will naturally start to open up other areas. Eventually those who believed that Knowledge is Power will come to realize that it is not just what you know but who you know and how much respect they have for you is what makes the difference.

To help those who may suffer from Impostors Syndrome it is important that you give them a closed or private option to start with as well as being comfortable with them lurking and reading more than contributing. There is no quick fix for altering behavior, it is one nudge at a time that ultimately redirects how someone lives out their life. Everyone will eventually change to this open way of communicating and sharing as younger generations start to flood the workforce. The companies that are investing in this way of operating today will be the ones that will lead the pack in innovation and collaboration tomorrow.

Many of the systems deployed within companies today unfortunately support the old ways of thinking. New generations are entering the workplace and coming into positions of responsibility yet want little to do with the old systems and structures and their restrictions. They don’t want to be burdened with the clothes of those who have gone before them. They want to be respected and free to contribute, innovate, and bring change.

For more details and research on this topic please read: Work Democracy and Self-Managing Teams

Contact:
Jon Motz
jon @ brainparkinc.com

Brainpark Makes WorldBlu’s 2010 List of Most Democratic Workplaces ™

Alamo, California, United States – April 13, 2010 – Brainpark.com, a leading developer of enterprise social networking software and project collaboration tools, is pleased to announce their inclusion in the 2010 WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces. Brainpark is one of 44 companies chosen and this is the second consecutive year they have been included on this list.

The WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces is a global list recognizing and honoring organizations that operate democratically. It is a list, not a ranking, and is announced on an annual basis. The purpose of the list is to honor companies that champion organizational democracy and freedom in the workplace.

“Being listed in this WorldBlu group is an honor and hats off to Traci and the team for pulling together such an outstanding group of companies and leaders,” says Mark Dowds, Brainpark’s CEO.

Organizations from the for-profit, non-profit and government sectors that have been in operation for at least one full year and have at least five employees can apply for the WorldBlu award. To be eligible, employees throughout an organization complete a survey using the online WorldBlu Democratic Workplace Scorecard™. The WorldBlu Scorecard evaluates an organization according to ten principles of organizational democracy, such as transparency and accountability.

Brainpark’s work philosophy is reflected in the products they develop and sell, making them a prime candidate for WorldBlu’s list. “The WorldBlu List standard is extremely high – not all companies that applied or who were on last year’s list were awarded this year” said Traci Fenton, CEO and founder of WorldBlu. “Democratic organizations are much more than great places to work. They have been designed to operate with a freedom-centric approach to business – an approach that is unique and progressive, but also highly practical and relevant in today’s dynamic, ever-changing business environment. Brainpark exemplifies this type of organization both inside and out, from their internal operations to the product they sell that promotes the democratic model to their customers.”

About Brainpark

Brainpark.com is an award winning suite of enterprise social networking software tools designed to enhance workplace collaboration, increase employee productivity, and provide a unification framework for content, data and relationships that live in various systems. An enterprise work system that helps employees organize themselves by capturing their knowledge and relating that information to other work tasks in real-time, Brainpark software helps to connect disparate people working on similar tasks, creating organizational awareness, transparency, and self-governance. www.brainpark.com

About WorldBlu

WorldBlu is an Austin, TX based company specializing in organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership. Founded in 1997, WorldBlu works to inspire and support the design and development of democratic organizations worldwide. www.worldblu.com.

Alamo, CA (PRWEB) January 22, 2010 –Brainpark.com, a leading developer of enterprise social networking software and project collaboration tools, has been awarded one of the technology industry’s most sought-after awards for start-ups; The Red Herring Global 100. Red Herring’s Global 100 list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs.

On January 12-14, 2010, over 500 technology industry professionals gathered in Laguna Niguel, California to honor the Top 100 privately-held technology companies in the world. Judging criteria included financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their ecosystem. Contestants were further judged on their ability to handle the challenges of internationalization in addition to maintaining a global presence.

“After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed down our list from 1,200 potential companies to 200 finalists. Trying to get it down to 100 companies was a task upon itself. The top 100 companies who were chosen should be extremely proud, the competition was difficult,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring.

“We are very honored to stand with many great companies and leaders from all over the world to receive this award.” stated Mark Dowds, CEO of Brainpark.com. “Technology is more powerful than most people realize; it is time to show them what is really possible and to make their work life better. We are turning the tide to bring a smarter future,” he exclaimed. “Thank you to Alex and team at Red Herring for their hard work and diligence to make this all possible.”

About Brainpark.com
Brainpark.com is an award winning suite of enterprise social networking software tools designed to enhance workplace collaboration, increase employee productivity, and provide a unification framework for content, data and relationships that live in various systems. An enterprise work system that helps employees organize themselves by capturing their knowledge and relating that information to other work tasks in real-time, Brainpark software helps to connect disparate people working on similar tasks, creating organizational awareness, transparency, and self-governance.

About Red Herring
Red Herring, Inc., founded in 1993, is a media company whose mission is to cover innovation, technology, financing and entrepreneurial activity. Its staff of award-winning journalists tell readers what’s first, what matters and most importantly, why. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Google, Yahoo, Skype, Netscape, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work. Red Herring is dedicated to thorough research, relevant metrics, deep financial analysis, in-depth reporting, crisp writing and thoughtful debate.

Village living is interesting as everyone emerges with a few interesting roles and contributions that make it all work. No-one is every sat down and told what their role in the community is, it just sort of happens over time. There were the gossipers who helped ensure everyone was up to speed. There were the farmers who made sure all the underage workforce got something productive to do on the weekend and earn pocket money. I could list many more but I am sure you get the gist.

Systems are fascinating entities. Quite often we think we know how they work and then we change something only to have it all break down around us. Nothing is as straight forward as we assume and the consultants/leaders who propose the simplicity of business 101 or simple fixes to save money normally are not around anymore when the repercussions surface later. There is always something we did not see or could not forsee when acting.

Meri Gruber found a very interesting article by David Sloan Wilson on her recent post about Enterprise 2.0 and chickens:

William Muir, an animal breeder at Purdue University, wanted to increase egg production by selective breeding, and he tried to do it in two ways. Both involved housing hens in cages (groups), which is standard practice in the poultry industry. The first method involved selecting the most productive hen within each cage to breed the next generation of hens. The second method involved selecting the most productive cages and using all the hens from those cages to breed the next generation of hens. You might think that the difference between the two methods is slight and that the first method should work better.  After all, it is individuals who lay eggs, so selecting the best individuals directly should be more efficient than selecting the best groups, which might include some individual duds.

The results told a completely different story. When Bill presented his results at a scientific conference, he showed a slide of hens selected by the first method after six generations. The audience gasped.  Inside the cage were only three hens, not nine, because the other six hens had been murdered.  The three survivors had plucked each other during their incessant attacks and were now nearly featherless… What happened?  The most productive individuals had achieved their success by suppressing the productivity of their cage mates.

The first method caused egg productivity to perversely decline, even though the most productive hens were chosen each and every generation. The second method caused egg productivity to increase 160 percent in six generations, an astonishing response as artificial selection experiments go.

Excerpt from Evolution for Everyone by David Sloan Wilson

Like the village, this “community” of chickens have a system that is not visible to many on the outside. Their productivity hinges on the things unseen or not considered. I suppose it is just like ours as human beings at work. Our productivity hinges on how happy we feel, how alert we are, how much we are respected, how much trust we have for leaders and co-workers, and how connected we are within the system.

To address the list above one of the best strategies to implement to enhance productivity would be health and fitness plans, reduction of caffeine, siesta’s, and open communication. Instead the smarter guys who crunch numbers and are only influenced by the measurable (instead of common sense) typically respond to enhancing productivity by rewards and recognition plans and requiring more reporting.

I am not suggesting that we go all fluffy at work but rather that we actually get more strategic, thoughtful, and sensitive to the complexity of the system. Instead of taking the low road of assessing individual productivity we need to stand back and ask what is missing within the system to bring the collaboration, sharing, and camaraderie that makes things sing and make small changes at the macro level that can nudge things in the right direction across the company.

]]> http://www.brainpark.com/business/community-productivity-in-the-enterprise/feed/ 0 http://www.brainpark.com/business/more/ http://www.brainpark.com/business/more/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:49:31 +0000 Mark Dowds http://www.brainpark.com/?p=870 One movie scene most of us will never forget is when Oliver Twist, desperate with hunger, rose from the table and advanced to the master with bowl and spoon in hand to audaciously ask, ‘Please, sir, I want some more.’ The carnage that followed all hinged around the shock and repetition of the word ‘MORE!’

‘More’ is a word that rarely raises an eyebrow or causes disdain in our modern world. Some things are changing due to energy crises and obesity but mostly ‘more is better’ is the mindset of the masses. Rockerfella was once asked how much money one needs to be happy. His response was ‘just a little bit more.’

Yesterday’s conversation starter on HBR called ‘Is Social Media Worth Your Time?’ provoked this post. Morten Hansen appropriately states: Some people miss this point: They think of adoption success in a company as the number of wikis, blogs, tweets, and Facebook pages that people have created and used. In other words, they measure success as the activity level. But that’s the same as saying, “in our company, we have lots of meetings so we must be doing something right.”

When I inquire among leaders responsible for collaboration and communication within enterprise how they know if their existing solutions are delivering the goods I often get statistical responses of how many searches are being done on an average day or how much original content is being created by the people.  This only tells me if people are using a system but it doesn’t communicate if a problem is being solved effectively. In my estimation the more searching you have to do reflects how ineffective the system you have created. This is rarely considered in this addicted googling generation.

When I walk down the halls of other Enterprise 2.0 vendors I get a little scared. There is no doubt many are doing a great sales job and have borrowed extensively from consumer social media but what I want at work are better filters and less noise. I have a job to do and I don’t want to have to bother with being social with everyone. Computing technology today has the ability to do more than we realize, it just needs innovative minds solving problems more effectively. There is no reason why we should need to search for everything we need or have to worry about tagging and taxonomies/folksonomies. Computers are supposed to be smart and free us from filing and sorting, it is about time we saw more of this.

I want suggest that less is better as long as the information is more precise and more relevant to my needs. I enjoy that each day I no longer have to search hard drives and emails to find the information I need. Neither do I have to search to find the expertise I need as I work on projects as they are suggested to me as brainpark learns what I am working on. Life is simpler and I have more space to think and innovate. There is no going back.

If you are seeking a business focused collaboration system that is alternative to everything else you have seen we may be the people you want to be talking to. We solve complex problems and know that computers were created to serve us.

Jim Estill, formerly of Synnex Canada
Brydon Gilliss, Brainpark
Steve McCartney, formerly of Atria Networks LP