Getting on the same page means each team member has a shared mental model of the task and the team. Mental models are internalized representations of the world around us; they are the way we make sense of things. In a high-functioning team, each person has a mental model that is similar enough to the others, so that the team …
More Ernest, Less Earnest
Over dinner, my male colleague and I were discussing a proposal he’d just submitted for a major program with one of his biggest clients. If he wins, it will be not only a large chunk of revenue, but a transformational contract in terms of the products, scale and reach of his business. “You’ve done a fabulous job on the bid”, I …
4 tactics to bond your virtual team
When you feel bonded with a team, a part of your self-identity has merged with the collective identity of the team. The process of losing a little bit of your individuality and taking on a bit of the group identity is what underlies the passionate reactions of sports-team or pop-group fans. When you join a team and feel bonded to …
Getting the most from employees, regardless of age
Academic research challenges the popular notion of generational differences and there is little empirical evidence to suggest that significant differences in work attitudes or performance can be attributed to membership of a generation. For example, a large scale study conducted by IBM found that only 2% of the difference in measures of employee engagement can be attributed to generational difference. …
“They can’t change” vs “they’re too demanding”: the problem of stereotyped perceptions of age in the workplace
“I have an older lady in my team. She has been here for 30 years. The problem is that she just can’t change and learn to work in the new way that we need.” “I have a young man on my team who keep pushing for promotion before he is ready. These Millennials have such a strong sense of entitlement. …