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Subject:Re: Team Building From:Sandy Harris <sharris -at- dkl -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 23 Nov 1999 15:54:29 -0500
I don't have details, but an exercise my ex used with some success in
courses for gov't employees newly promoted into management roles was
to get them to talk about the "teamwork" analogy, different sorts of
teams, and what sort of team they wanted to build.
Hockey team? Who is the goalie? How do you decide who plays forward
and who defense? How does performance evaluation work? Evaluate the
whole team on overall results? Or individuals on goals scored? Or
goals and assists? What is "an assist" in your organisation?
How about the judo team, swimming teams, both racing and synchronised?
Or an orchestra trying to play together? Or a pair of figure skaters?
It's not clear to me any of these is a good analogy for any work
environment. Certainly, for me, the team sports metaphor is highly
aversive. I'd instinctively write any manager using it off as well
worth avoiding.
Perhaps tech writers should be seen as part of the pit crew for high
tech projects.
