Work Like IT

There is probably not a single company these days that hasn't heard of team building. The basic rules of team building were described several decades ago. In particular, Patrick Lencioni formulated 5 rules of inefficiency and published them in the form of the almost eponymous book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team back in 2002. However, it seems that only IT companies with their inherent respect for algorithms and instructions have taken these rules as a guide to action and managed to form teams that are comfortable working, developing, and achieving goals. And let's face it, everyone would like to be part of such a team. 

Fortunately, even for those who don't see their future in the IT community but work in teams from classical economic sectors, the rules of IT team effectiveness are not a secret. So, if you are faced with the task of increasing your own productivity or improving the atmosphere in the team, and subsequently turning it into a highly effective team, you will definitely need some insights from IT specialists.

Communicate in an Environmentally Friendly Way

I once read an article about IT. The author made an obvious mistake in one sentence. But in the comments, someone said something like this: "It seems to me that there is a certain inaccuracy in such a sentence, which, in my opinion, should be corrected." At that moment, I thought: "Wow, I want to react like that too, and not write or hear in the comments that the author is incompetent and the article is nonsense."

So, indeed, one of the basic rules of IT is environmental friendliness and non-aggressive communication (even passive aggression is prohibited). This is the basis of trust.

Everyone has the right to express their opinion without being ridiculed. In addition, the way of expressing a position should be harmless to others. And this applies primarily to management - they should be the first to deviate from the rule: "I am the boss, you are the fool."

It is not difficult to introduce environmental friendliness in the communication of any team. You just need to say at the next meeting, "Thank you for your opinion/suggestion." And it doesn't matter whether it will be implemented. Even if the first publicly expressed ideas are absurd, a trusting atmosphere will allow the team to generate really effective projects that will only drive business.

Talk About Your Goals and Think Through a Plan

The best motivation, as you know, is not so much a salary as an awareness of the importance of your work. If only some part of the team understands what they are working for, there is a high risk that these people will "overwork" for the result and look at their less busy colleagues, who, in turn, see no need to exert themselves.

In IT teams, everyone knows what product they're working on, what it will deliver, when it needs to be done, when it's due, and so on. Of course, not everyone is aware of the financial details of the project or the details of the work of each individual team member, but everyone knows exactly what result should be achieved.

This, by the way, will also help to attract the team's expertise to adjust the goal at the time of setting tasks. For example, if you are planning to go cycling in the mountains for the first time, you might make a mistake in planning your trip. But if someone on your team (but you don't know who) has already traveled to the mountains or is good at bicycles, they can help you suggest a better route or estimate the right time for the trip. Just let the team know about the existing task! Your employees are experts in their niches, so don't hesitate to ask them how best to do their job.

If you have a goal, but no plan to achieve it, you can easily succumb to procrastination or be influenced by others. In IT teams, all goals are broken down to the smallest tasks, which are then prioritized by time to complete and priority.

This makes any task simple and clear. Then it is easy to accomplish.

In addition, it's a good idea to adopt the habit of setting tasks for a week or two in advance, so as not to leave everything to the last minute.

Assign Roles and Take Responsibility

For a task to be completed, there must be someone who is responsible for it. And this is not the kind of responsibility when the main performer does everything for a group of people, but when everyone consciously takes on the responsibility to do their part. To do this, the performer needs to know that his or her contribution to the business matters.

The habit of appointing a responsible person will reduce the dissatisfaction of colleagues who may feel that others are not doing enough or are paid almost nothing at all.

Therefore, if we are not talking about information with limited access such as financial information, it is highly recommended to use work planning tools with transparent goals, responsible persons, and a schedule for their implementation.

For colleagues who have no idea about the work of other team members, tasks marked as completed will at least be an indicator of the teamwork process: others are also working. And if there are several employees in the team working on similar tasks, understanding the role of each will allow you to help your colleague or replace him or her if necessary.

Reconcile Actions and Goals

When immersed in work, everyone is passionate about their task. But in the process of performing it, it may turn out that the task itself is unclear, or its solution, in the performer's opinion, will not be the key to achieving the goal. In other words, either the method of implementation is unclear to the performer, or a mistake has crept in during planning.

Regular checking of specific actions: what was done yesterday and what I will do today - will allow the team to adjust tasks. If the relationship is built on trust and environmentally friendly communication, the performer will report a problem that may appear only after the task is completed, at a stage when resources have not been spent and the problem can be avoided or solved with less effort.

Take Time to Socialize

It's a good idea to set aside a few minutes in your daily meetings to discuss non-work-related issues. Spending a few minutes reflecting on news and events, whether global or personal, will save you much more time than one-on-one discussions.

Also, all discussions about shopping, parties, or personal life should be officially postponed until lunchtime, technical breaks, or after work. Set aside 15 minutes in your work schedule for this, and you will notice how people will work more efficiently to have this opportunity to talk.

                                                                ***

It's never too late to implement traditional IT productivity rules into your own life. Of course, it is more comfortable to move in this process in a planned and gradual manner, but sometimes you have to introduce useful innovations "off the cuff". For example, in the context of the war, when Ukrainians became more sensitive to stress and less tolerant of the Soviet heritage, they had to urgently rethink the methods of doing business and management inherited from the Soviet period.