Dynamic Reteaming, 2nd Edition

Foreword by Diana Larsen

Heidi Helfand notices. That’s one of the first things I learned about her as we became better acquainted. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Heidi. I’ve also received side benefits of her ability to notice what’s going on and to discern the response needed.

Heidi notices what’s going on in a situation and then dives deeply into making sense of it. She discerns patterns in personal, group, and organizational dynamics. But she doesn’t stop there. She recognizes how she can contribute to our learning about those patterns. Heidi helps us see what she sees.

This book, Dynamic Reteaming, demonstrates this attribute of noticing. Heidi noticed that the conventional wisdom about teams didn’t match reality. She became curious. Heidi is also bravely willing to challenge conventional wisdom. In this way, she adds “role model for leaders” to her role as author.

She understood a generalization that many of us take for granted—team members work better together as they interact over time. She also recognized the flaw in its corollary—strive to keep team membership stable. Heidi saw it differently. While this is an interesting ideal, it’s not the lived reality in most organizations. People and organizations are not tidy, and unexpected stuff happens.

Team members (a.k.a. people who have lives) leave teams for a variety of reasons. New people join growing teams. Products undergo changes based on customer needs and shifting business directions. New products emerge. New versions ...