1.
What if?
Leveling Up for More Wildly Successful
Virtual Teams
A game in 3-ish levels with Ewen LeBorgne and Nancy White

2.
Virtual teams are like giant online games…
Level 1: What the heck is going on?
Level 2: What can we understand and
do right now?
Level 3: What does it take to deepen
the practice?

3.
1 Mad Tea – LEVEL ONE 2 TRIZ (With a MIN SPECS
hint) – LEVEL TWO
3 Heard, Seen, Respected
LEVEL THREE
4 Reflect and intentions for
practice
:: A G E N D A
a) Play and discover together
b) One 90-minute block
featuring a variety of
microstructures
c) Reflection, practice, design
and (a tiny bit of ) theory
bursts are included
WE ARE RECORDING THIS!
We are taking lots of FUN risks!
PLAY!

4.
Mad Tea helps clarify where we are
starting our conversation on distributed
teams

5.
Mad Tea Etiquette
Online: Use Chat To All/F2F inward/outward facing circles
1) Stay curious, dig deep, have fun
2) Don’t over think answers
3) Finish each of the open sentences with a short phrase!
We invoke spelling amnesty online – i.e. typos don’t count!

6.
What first
inspired me in a
virtual team is…

7.
Something
that really
attracts me
to virtual
teams is…

8.
One thing still
needed to overcome
to have successful
virtual teams…

9.
Virtual
team
leaders
just don’t
seem to
get…

10.
What I hope can
happen for my
virtual teams is…

11.
Something I
think I will start
doing to turn
up the heat for
my virtual
team is…

12.
An exciting way
to support
trust in teams
is…

13.
An innovative
virtual team
practice or idea
I am keen to try
is…

14.
A question that is
emerging for me
about virtual
teams is…

15.
I like Mad Tea because…

16.
1. Set up teams of 6 (online teams, offline teams)
First alone, then in your small group, compile a list
on your note board of to-do’s in answer to:
What could YOU do to ensure your
distributed team will fail, always? Every
time. For every member and every goal.
• 5 minutes. Go wild!
2. 3.
TRIZ Steps and Schedule
Stop counterproductive activities and behaviors to make space for
innovation
Devious and
practical ideas
encouraged

17.
2. Together, let’s go down our lists and
ask:
Is there anything we are doing that
resembles in any shape or form to-
do’s on our list?
• Be unforgiving
TRIZ Steps and Schedule
Stop counterproductive activities and behaviors to make
space for innovation
1. First alone, then in
your small group,
compile a list of
to-do’s in answer
to:
What could YOU do to
ensure your
distributed team will
fail, always?
Go wild!

18.
2. First alone,
then in your
group, go down
your list and ask:
Is there
anything we are
doing that
resembles in
any shape or
form to-do’s on
our list?
3. We’ll send you back to your breakout group for 10 minutes.
First alone, then in your group, compile the list of what
needs to be stopped.
• Take one item at a time & ask:
How am I and how are we going to stop it? What is your
first move to STOP this behavior?
• Be as concrete as you can
• Bonus questions:
• What triggers this behavior?
• What competing commitments and assumptions may
be holding you back?
TRIZ Steps and Schedule
Stop counterproductive activities and behaviors to make
space for innovation
1. First alone,
then in your small
group, compile a
list of to-do’s in
answer to:
How can I/we
reliably create…
• Go wild!

19.
Minimum Specifications for Virtual Teams

20.
Min Specs
Specify only the absolute “Must do’s” and “Must not do’s” for achieving a purpose
List of requirements to have
A Successful Virtual Team Meeting
Can you violate this requirement
and still achieve your purpose? If “yes,” cross it off
your list.
1. Announce a time and location Min Spec
2. Recruit an expert speaker NOT a Min Spec
3. Prepare a detailed agenda NOT a Min Spec
4. Project PowerPoint slides NOT a Min Spec
5. Articulate a compelling purpose Min Spec
http://www.liberatingstructures.com/14-min-specs/

21.
Heard, Seen, Respected

22.
Heard, Seen, Respected
1. In pairs for F2F group (online we’ll determine based on
number of people) tell your partner a story about a time
when you were NOT heard, seen or respected.
2. As listener, don’t try to fix anything. Only ask questions if
needed (e.g. “what else” or “what happened next.”)
3. Switch roles with your partner and repeat steps 1 & 2.
4. In groups of four, use What (what just happened –
observable facts), So What (why does this matter), Now
What (what should I/we do next) to reflect on the
experience.
2 can do blended pairs, 2 sets of four

23.
What Next?

24.
Your Experience? http://bit.ly/1ds1sXa

25.
Resources
• Engagement possibilities
http://www.liberatingstructures.com