CONCEPT:
The dynamics of Personal Map, here I leave the link where it is fully explained (https://management30.com/blog/personal-maps-connecting-teams-improving-team-collaboration/) help teams to get to know each other better, empathize, look for common traits and habits and therefore to line up and open up to other people.
CONTEXT:
What makes out a great team? This question has been going on for a while, specially since the digital transformation brought the awareness into the enterprises that individuals can not face the complexity of todays business anymore: different perspectives are required to seek solutions to complex challenges, and this is the reality in the XXI century. Nowadays it is a fact, that most of the work done in many organizations, is done collaboratively by teams.
So what makes up a good team? Google was also dealing with this question, so they launched the project Aristotle, and 2016 came out with the result of their investigation (published in New York Times ).
Project Aristotle’s research team identified 180 teams to study (115 project teams in engineering and 65 pods in sales) which included a mix of high- and low-performing teams. The study tested how both team composition (e.g., personality traits, sales skills, demographics on the team) and team dynamics (e.g., what it was like to work with teammates) impact team effectiveness. Ideas were pulled from existing research as well as Google’s own experience with what makes an effective team (ReWork google).
The results of this investigation are impressing. A great team neither heavily depends on the skills and knowledge of their members (that is, six Harvard graduates together do not necessary create a good team), nor play the size of a team a big role.
The researchers found that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together.
Our goal when creating effective, self-organized, mature, energized, great teams is to look for ways to increase the collaboration and communication within the team members, and so introducing room for creativity.
APPLICATION OF DYNAMICS:
is a fantastic exercise when it comes to better understanding the people within the team. It's simple, no materials required (a sheet of paper), simple to explain, and yet powerful!
However, before introducing a personal map exercise in a team, we must ensure that a safe environment is in place, as different cultures may have different reactions.
I have observed that the cultural background of the country in which you are working plays a determining role when it comes to personal maps: not everyone likes to talk about private aspects, and in some cultures it is not customary to talk about yourself at work .
Just consider this experience when applying personal maps with your team!
It is important to know that empathy improves communication and trust (one of the problems I come across more and more when working in a team). With this we help create a much better work environment. Personal maps can be used on computers that start from home, do not know each other or do not trust each other enough. Many times situations such as "here you come to work and not to socialize" are heard.
I usually open the dynamic, once you write your personal map, it is presented one by one, like someone who introduces a new person for the first time.
Another technique that I used is to do it in pairs, but not in the whole room, but in a couple of pairs, and the rest is visible. As if it were a job interview based on the personal map made. Finally, the interviewer introduces the interviewee to the rest and the interviewee provides a brief feedback in case he considers that the details of her personal map have been forgotten.
This technique helps to create a safe context, to get to know each other better and to empathize with colleagues, it is very useful in new teams that do not know each other, in situations of relocated teams where it is clearly seen that there is no communication or link, as I commented in another dynamic (delegation poker), it is very important to create a safe work environment. This dynamic, if it comes out of that approach, can be very helpful.
One way of presenting it is in teams or areas where one is going to act as a coach, facilitator, etc., and the team is already formed.
I ask the question, "guys, I don't know you and if you are so kind I would like us to make a personal map to find you". Then I generate synergies of the type, X, did you know the love / liking of Y? Did you know that you and Z have a predilection for XXX?
ADVANTAGES OF DYNAMICS:
The dynamics of the personal map allows people to open up to others in a non-intrusive way, share everyday experiences of their lives that many times day to day does not allow you or you do not consider it important to share, helping to strengthen ties in your teams. It allows generating a good work environment initially, being a good starting point in the creation of a team, useful in the kickoff of a project, when a new team member joins the team, etc.
DISADVANTAGES OF DYNAMICS:
Sometimes people do not finish knowing each other, they are shy, they are not so open as to collaborate in said dynamic. Therefore the starting dynamic is not so enriched. When this happens, I usually put bubbles or specific questions that do not appear in the personal maps of all or some people. Your achievements, your friends, your places, etc. And in this way we help to know each other more.
CONCLUSION:
One tool that I really like are personal maps (more about personal maps): it is a fantastic exercise when it comes to understanding people within the team better. It's simple, no materials are required (a piece of paper), simple to explain and still powerful.
However, before introducing a personal map exercise into a team, we must ensure that there is a safe environment, since different cultures may have different reactions.
I have observed that the cultural background of the country in which you are working plays a decisive role when it comes to personal maps: not everyone likes to talk about private aspects, and in some cultures it is not usual to talk about you at work.
Only consider this experience when applying personal maps with your equipment!
It is important to know that empathy improves communication and trust (one of the problems I encounter more and more when I work with teams). With this we help create a much better work environment. Personal maps can be used on computers that start from home, are not known or there is not enough trust even between them. Many times you can hear situations like "here you come to work and not to socialize".
If the dynamics open up, at once writing your personal map, it is presented one at a time, like who introduces a new person for the first time.
Another technique I used is to do it in pairs, but not in the whole room, if not in a couple, and the rest is in sight. As if it were a job interview based on the personal map made. Finally, the interviewer introduces the interviewee to the rest and the interviewee provides a brief feedback in case he considers that the details of his personal map have been forgotten.
This technique helps to create a secure context, to get to know each other better and to empathize with colleagues, it is very useful in new teams that are not known, in situations of relocated teams where it is clearly seen that there is no communication or link, as I commented in another dynamic ( delegation poker), it is very important to create a safe working context. This dynamic, if it arises from that approach, can be very useful.
One way of presenting it is in teams or areas where one is going to act as coach, facilitator, etc., and the team is already established.
I ask the question, "guys, I don't know them and if they are so kind I would like us to make a personal map to find them." Later I generate synergies of the type, X, did you know the love / taste of Y? Did you know that you and Z have a predilection for XXX?
In contexts where the area or group with which the dynamics will be carried out, there is a great hierarchy, the dynamics have not always gone well, the information has been hidden or we have not wanted to participate.
In my opinion and from my experience, it is important or to be in a safe context if there is a hierarchy in the group or if it is done with people within the same context or group without hierarchical disparity in ability. And always in a constructive way, asking if they will feel comfortable with the dynamics, never forcing, that also gives them a temperature level of their confidence to express themselves in public, open or how safe their context is.
In an area where the climate of satisfaction of our employees was not the best, we introduced the dynamics of Personal Maps in the KickOffs that have been carried out every time a new project begins in the service. Due to the fact that within the service teams, being in project mode, people change between teams every x months, we made the personal maps of all the people so that they could get to know each other better, understand each other better, see affinities and help create synergies between them. .
We propose this dynamic voluntarily when a member of the team joins (after a few months they themselves have established it as a healthy habit called project onboarding, different from talent onboarding when someone joins the company) and on a scheduled basis on every KickOff that causes people to rotate and as an update to your own Personal Map if you match members again. Create interesting conversations between them, common tastes and hobbies to practice outside the office, meet on the weekend, etc. out of 10 they value it very positively to get to know each other better. In fact, it has served to gamify the company's activities based on Personal Maps, Padel Tournaments, Futsal, Gamming. In a company, this dynamic has served to carry out hiking trails on a monthly basis where the number of participants is currently around 20 - 30 people, around 7 teams from a line of business interact regularly thanks to this dynamic participating in the routes. At the same time, a paddle tennis and video game tournament has been established in the company, starting with the 3 business units where the personal maps were made and where it was detected that more than 50 of the 250 people liked and practiced paddle tennis regularly and more than 80 played soccer or indoor soccer at least monthly. A padel tournament has been created with 20 couples with monthly rounds and a futsal tournament with at least 6 teams on a regular basis to play matches. All this has contributed to improve the spirit of the team members, to improve their mutual knowledge and to create a very strong team feeling.
MY LEARNINGS:
As
a facilitator it has helped me to improve my facilitation skills both
as a facilitator and as a person, it has helped me to develop greater
empathy, to understand their likes, motivators, hobbies, objectives and
purposes.
Only by getting to know your colleagues better can you
help them improve professionally in their day-to-day lives. It
continuously helps me to generate better synergies and interactions
between the people I work with, understand their problems and
continuously help them to generate better solutions to their challenges
in a collaborative way with them.
It is a continuous learning for
all, with feelings of happiness and gratitude on the part of all, a
moment of connection between all that is appreciated in the vortex of
day to day work.
NEXT STEPS:
I try to help them create circles of affinity in successive sessions so that they have common topics to discuss or delve into, I accompany them with team building activities or activities inside or outside the office on common points to help create and build a team.
