1. The Magic and Science of Teams
Mark Levison
Agile Pain Relief Consulting
©mark@agilepainrelief.com
@mlevison
“People Working on the Same Product but Not Collaborating are Essentially
Working Separate Products” – Ben Waber – People Analytics

2. 7 +/- 2?
Roman Army - Contubernium or Tent Section size?
Social Costs – how many hours a day will you spend working on relationships?
How many people can you talk to meaningfully in that time?
Cohesion
“Single biggest effect on productivity and stress - cohesion. About 30 times more important than
experience”. - Ben Waber People Analytics.
What helps Cohesion (circle all that you think apply):
Women on the team
Team Members Desks/Workspaces are together
Formal Meetings
Water Cooler
Size of the Lunch Table
Break Time
Management support

3. Communication Patterns
Energy Level
Engagement
Exploration
Face to Face
35% of variation in team performance account for by number of face to face exchanges.
1 on 1 or very small group - in depth
Whole Group - brief to the point statements
Rough balance between whole group and one-on-one
Social Time
What counts as Social time?
What do people talk about?
Isolated
Why?
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Tactics
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4. ___________________________
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References
“People Analytics” - Ben Waber
“The New Science of Building Great Teams” Alex “Sandy” Pentland
“The Wisdom of Teams” - Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith
“Leading Teams” - Richard Hackmann