People and Teams

People and Teams

People and Teams Stories
Collaboration—puzzle pieces Collaborative, High-Functioning Teams Start with Agile ManagersWe often assume that management is pure overhead and adds little value. But management is necessary for teams to be successful. Teams sometimes need help creating environments where it’s easier to make the right decisions in a timely manner. A culture of delegation and trust starts with a good manager.
Reaching a goal—mountain summit What Helps or Hinders Achieving Your Goals?It takes a lot more than the proper frame of mind to reach a goal, but you’re far less likely to reach a goal if you have the wrong frame of mind. So make a plan, establish a deadline, and think about any potential perils and pitfalls that could derail reaching your goal.
Help key on a keyboard The Sign of a True Professional: Asking for Help When It’s NeededPeople worry that asking for assistance will somehow undermine their standing in the eyes of peers or employers. But most successful people are quick to acknowledge what they don’t know and to ask for assistance. Honestly admitting to limitations in your knowledge is the sign of a true professional.
Open office layout The Myths behind Brainstorming, Open Office Plans, and CollaborationMore companies are moving to some version of open offices or pod configurations in hopes of inspiring collaboration and improving productivity. But does it work? If you consult efficiency studies, the answer tends to be no. In fact, increasing proximity is shown to decrease productivity and creativity.
Time waster: Clock thrown out in garbage Stop These Major Time-Wasting Activities at WorkMost time wasters at work fall into one of three categories: personal, organizational, and technological. There may not be much you can do about some typical time-wasting activities—like certain meetings—but there are some you can control, which means you can dump them to be more productive.
The Problem with Expectations for Agile TeamsToo many people sell agile as a way to get better, faster, cheaper. But the problem with setting these high expectations for agile teams is that we too often neglect the roles of and expectations for agile managers. Managers are responsible for creating the environment in which people can deliver great work.
Netflix headquarters What Working at Netflix Is Like

The Netflix team has to be dynamic in order to move as quickly as the demand of its audience. Because of that, the company only hires senior engineers, avoids actually sticking to process whenever possible, encourages a great deal of employee freedom, and even pushes budgets to the side.

Man working remotely Tips and Tools for Successfully Working RemotelyRemote work is becoming more common, so understanding how to work better remotely is valuable, especially if your company doesn’t have an established policy about it. Collaboration technology continues to improve, making communicating and cooperating with collocated coworkers even easier.