Dynamic Reteaming, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7. Isolation Pattern

Thus far we have explored reteaming patterns related to company growth. Another reason that companies reteam is due to the work. That is, new work they are going to embark on might be best attacked by changing the team, or starting a brand-new team. This is home to the isolation pattern of reteaming (as well as the merging pattern, which is discussed in the next chapter).

When you have a bold, new idea to go after, and you need intense focus, you might consider forming a team to the side and letting the members run with it via the isolation pattern. This pattern works equally well when you’re dealing with an unexpected emergency and you need focus. I experienced this viscerally when the first startup I was a part of made a do-or-die pivot to reorient the company for success. I started this book with that story, in the preface, and have expanded upon it in this chapter.

Beyond new work and emergencies, I’ve noticed that as companies get bigger, processes and procedures get more formalized. And, if you’re not careful, things could start to take a lot longer and really feel burdensome to the people. This is akin to a rigidity trap, or period of stagnation, as described in Chapter 1. Processes can feel quite heavy when you want to move fast. You can rejigger that dynamic by applying the isolation pattern.

The isolation pattern of dynamic reteaming is when you take a team, put it off to the side, and give the team members explicit freedom to work in a different ...