Build #37 - Teams, bonding and zombies

Build #37 - Teams, bonding and zombies

Hey there,

Last week’s fungi-related ponderings elicited a good few suggestions about personal consumption of mushrooms, alongside the more usual work-related responses I tend to get.

Today I bring you a quickfire look at the three most interesting things for company builders that I’ve spotted recently:

1. Better bonding

The FLUX Review has an interesting take on bonding in teams, distinguishing between cold bonding and bond strengthening. Cold bonding is about creating connections where none exist while bond strengthening deepens and enhances existing relationships-

My take: A useful lens when thinking about bringing workplace teams together for the first time or when onboarding a new member to an existing team. Consciously designing employee experience for pre-existing bonds (or their absence) can help accelerate effectiveness.

2. Towards self-managing teams

Lisa Gill shares a useful graphic on three shifts that teams need to make to dial up self-management. I enjoy Lisa’s podcast Leadermorphosis and her writing, so if you want to learn about progressive teams and new ways of working, check her out.

My take: The three shifts Lisa highlights aren’t just relevant to self-organising teams. I’d venture they’re relevant to anyone that’s building a workplace for 2025 not 1985.

3. Slaying zombie management

Michele Zanini has been on a conference panel. He’s highlighting three popular management concepts that need to be laid to rest: control through rules and standardisation leads to better performance, change should be engineered and that leadership is related to organisational role.

My take: I’m 100% with this. Michele talks a lot of sense and I’ve loved his thinking since first reading Humanocracy. His examples illustrate the points well and it’s worth noticing what you notice in your company once you’ve read his thoughts.

Next week Build’s back with a longer article on the joy of work. Until then, have a great week.

-sw

I help founders turn visions into high performing businesses, working as a fractional COO, consultant COO, advisor and coach.

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