Smart Teams, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 1Enabling productive flow

While some of our work is done alone, most of it involves working with others. When we work with others we cooperate, working together to achieve shared results. We commonly do this in the context of communications, meetings and projects, although we may cooperate in many other ad-hoc ways.

Our challenge is the unproductive friction we create for others when we cooperate, and of course the friction they create for us.

A good friend of mine is an experienced sailor who has competed in gruelling events such as the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. He knows how to make a boat go fast, and he knows what slows a boat down.

He once told me a story of how a bucket attached to a rope fell overboard during a race, causing a sudden and almost immediate drag on the boat. Now, everyone on board that racing yacht would have known the drastic impact such an accident would have on their speed, and they wasted no time in cutting it loose.

Matt went on to tell me of a more insidious form of drag when sailing: the build-up of barnacles on a boat’s hull produces an uneven surface that creates friction as the hull cuts through the water. In a race this kind of drag, being more gradual, can go unnoticed until it is too late. This is why some boat owners, especially of racing yachts, can spend thousands each year having their hulls cleaned, particularly before a race.

In the modern workplace, we face similar challenges. Sometimes someone will do something that completely ...