We experienced a great example of the efficiency of self-organizing teams last Friday. We’ve been in the same offices for several years now, and like many tech people we’ve started to accumulate aging tech equipment, and other stuff just lying around. That’s in addition to all the normal stuff that any business accumulates. It was time to reorganize the physical space. We allocated last Friday afternoon to finding a place for everything and putting everything in its place. There was very little pre-planning. Dianne Marsh and I made two specific recommendations: We were moving the bookcases into one office, and mounting a 42” TV / monitor on the wall in the library. Everything else was organized by the team. Our developers, our office manager, our sales and operations staff all pitched in. Everyone looked at where they could best help, took on tasks, and got things done. By the end of the day, all the clutter was stored in closets (neatly). All the equipment was in one space. The TV was on the wall, the bookcases were moved. The books are on the bookcases, totally organized. No single person was in charge of the process. Everyone made decisions, and then communicated those decisions to others.

What can we learn from this to apply to other activities?

If you want to experience the satisfaction and the efficiency of self-organizing teams, I think there are a few lessons to draw from this example. First of all, the goal was clearly stated: We need to more efficiently use our space or people. We’ve been consistently growing over the past several years, and if we are too cluttered, there’s not enough room for people. Everything in the office must be neat so we’re ready for customers or colleagues to visit at any time. A secondary goal was to know what we had in the office so we don’t unnecessarily buy more equipment. (I swear cables spontaneously divide and reproduce when left lying around.) Second, don’t limit people’s contributions. We made very few decisions for others. As long as everything got put in a place that worked, we made no restrictions on how any problem got solved. Any group or individual was empowered to find a place and an organization for anything they found that was taking up space. Third, positive peer pressure. We were all working together. No one could say they were doing something more pressing and skip out on the cleaning tasks.  I honestly think nothing destroys team dynamics more than some tasks are ‘beneath’ them. The end result from Friday is great. People have space to work individually, spaces to collaborate. We don’t have to move monitors and cables in order to find space at a desk. And everyone had a hand in it. The more experience we get with Self-Organizing teams, the more impressed we are. You should try to experience it yourself.