Extraordinary E-Groups, Part II

Extraordinary E-Groups, Part II

I’d like to continue with the theme of c. If you missed last week’s post, you might give it a quick read in order to have the context of what follows here and learn about Natanya’s story.

Of the eight indicators of an extraordinary group, five stand out in Natanya’s experience.

• Compelling Purpose: Building cultural competence among graduates that “puts everything into a global perspective. This is so critical to the future of our country. Knowing that everyone cares so much about the program enables us to grapple with our differences. It’s what keeps us going.”
• Embracing Differences: “We want to avoid group-think and so we hire people who are different. This difference pushes us in new directions.”
• Shared Leadership: Group members work as colleagues, each directing one portion of the program’s placements; decisions are made by consensus.
• Full Engagement: “We know we will have to revisit decisions later if we don’t hear why people are hesitating. This is one of our ground rules—to get things out in the open early on without worrying that people might be against your position.”
• Great Results: The obvious and tangible growth of the program, including contributing to the increasing acceptance of project based learning as worthy of earning academic credits. Natanya is also aware of a huge intangible result of being on this team--her ability to be a more self-aware and effective member of a team. Collaboration is “more than cut-to-the-chase. Nothing can replace the phone call, the personal touch. We all want to be heard and to know that the other person is actually listening and responding to what we say. This goes well beyond the office—to my friendships and to how I am raising my daughter.”

As she reflected on the elements that have enabled this group to be such a peak experience, she identifies four factors.

1. Bring in people with different personalities and backgrounds to expand the diversity and capability of the group.
2. Establish a culture of respecting differences, so that the group’s diversity can translate into breakthrough thinking and innovation.
3. Pay attention to people and who they are in the whole of their lives.
4. Maintain your sense of humor as a way of taking the edge off conflicts and being adaptable to what individuals need.

If you lead or are a member of an e-team, Natanya’s suggestions are well worth consideration. There’s an interesting connection between them. Let’s dive into them a bit more deeply.

To benefit from the diversity brought to a group, members must appreciate and respect those differences. One way to do that is by paying attention to group members as people—not just as co-workers. When group members learn more about each other as whole people, they begin to understand and respect each other’s values, backgrounds, interests, and life circumstances. This understanding creates the context for seeing someone’s passionately expressed perspective or opinion. Opinions that in other situations might sound confrontational are heard as a differing point of view worth exploring. Because the person offering that perspective is understood and appreciated. Openness to new ideas encourages good humor and a lightness of spirit that enable a group laugh together and not take themselves or their dynamics too seriously.

Question: What’s one simple way that a virtual group begin to build what Natanya calls “a culture of respecting differences?”

Answer: A personal check-in at the beginning of most, if not every, meeting.

Natanya told us that her group realized that their weekly phone meetings were too “tasky,” that there was no time for connecting as people. Since they were seldom in the same physical location, they missed the easy opportunities for finding out about each other and each others’ lives. So, they instituted a quick verbal check-in at the beginning of each meeting. Members would offer a brief statement about how they were doing on that day or what was going on in the rest of their lives. They found that this ten-minute start enabled them to learn more about each other and gain a sense of the factors that might influence how any member participated in the call. Overtime, through this simple and short method of starting a meeting, members gained an increased sense of one another and came to appreciate and respect each other in new ways.

Next week, I’ll write more about check-ins and how they can be a powerful connector in any group, whether it is virtual, like Natanya’s team, or face-to-face. I’d love to know if you have experiences with check-ins that have worked really well for one of your groups. If yes, please send a comment!