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We are used to having to work very hard to make collaboration happen in teams and groups however sometimes it just emerges. The Christmas Truce is the true story of how British and German soldiers in the trenches on Christmas eve 1914 called a truce and celebrated Christmas Day by singing carols, exchanging gifts and playing football together. It is an amazing example of nature’s most effective co-operation strategy, Tit for Tat, which emerged spontaneously for, sadly, an all too short time.

Continue readingSpontaneous human cooperation: The Christmas Truce

Credit to Christopher Allen & Shannon Appelcline for identifying an interesting historical book, Robert’s Rules of Order, originally written in 1896 and proposing a set of rules for conducting Fair and Orderly Meetings & Conventions. Many of Robert’s Rules would seem to apply to today’s virtual meetings too.

Continue readingRunning better meeting: Roberts Rules 1896

Pheromone-based messaging is the oldest and most evolved form of biological signalling. It uses chemicals to effect communications between animals and insects through smell and taste. There is an excellent opportunity for today’s virtual teams and mobile groups to re-organise the way they use their internet, email, messaging and presence-aware technologies to gain huge benefits from it.

Continue readingThe perfect mobile group communications system: adopt nature’s oldest signalling system

One of the main dilemmas for team leaders and members is the thorny issue of responsibility. We often fixate on the problem of leaders and members not taking enough responsibility but according to Dr Scott Peck they can also do damage if they try to take too much!

Continue readingTeam member responsibility problems

Managing any team, network or group becomes a whole lot simpler if you understand the three rings of member commitment.

Continue readingThe 3 rings of member commitment in any dynamic group

i,Team
The famous science fiction writer, Isaac Asimov, forecasted the coming age of Robots with a series of entertaining stories involving dilemmas around the concept of the Three Laws of Robotics. Asimov’s work was brought to the big screen in the recent block-buster film starring Will Smith “i, Robot”. But can these laws also be applied to teams?

Continue readingThe Three Laws of Teams

Beliefs are the fuel which can really energise bioteams
There is one, often neglected area, which a team needs to address as part of a bioteaming strategy if it wants to be exceptionally successful – team member beliefs.

Continue readingThe seven beliefs of high performing teams

First find out what type of team you are dealing with!

One of the most important team questions, often not properly resolved when a team is setup is:

“What type of team is it?”

Continue readingThe Three types of organisational teams

Bioteaming – the secret to high-performing, self-organising, virtually networked teams

In my research into bioteaming I have (so far) identified four action zones and about a dozen action rules.This article provides a brief introduction.

Continue readingThe secret DNA of high-performing virtual teams

This article is the final in a four-part series which describes each of the 4 Bioteams Zones, continuing with the Organization Zone.

This article was originally published in 2005 by Ken Thompson and Robin Good.

Continue readingBioteams Part 4: The Team Organization Zone