Explicit vs. Implicit Coordination: Navigating the Controversial Path to Team Success with KanBo.

- The article discusses the concept of explicit and implicit coordination in teams.

- It clarifies that effective coordination is not solely about overt planning, communication, and control, nor is it just about spontaneous, non-verbal synchronization.

- It identifies explicit coordination as overt, conscious activities such as defining roles and tasks, setting timelines, conducting meetings, and delegating. This kind of coordination can be facilitated using tools like KanBo.

- The article also brings attention to the essential role of implicit coordination, which is more about silent synchronization and anticipation of teammates' actions.

- It busts the myth that implicit coordination is an elusive ideal, showing how tools like KanBo can foster it through real-time updates on team activities.

- The article argues that explicit and implicit coordination are not separate but work in tandem, helping to manage tasks and resources efficiently.

- It points out that the most successful businesses use both types of coordination, and tools like KanBo can help to optimize this.

- The conclusions encourage us to view explicit and implicit coordination as a powerful duo that drives team success.

- The insights of this article are based on the research paper “Coordination Processes in Work Teams” by scholars from various Spanish Universities.

"Coordinating for perfection? It ain't all jazz and improv!"

"How do you make an orchestra in perfect tune or a humming factory line up and running? The answer is coordination, plain and simple. But here’s a shocker to the default perception – effective coordination isn't just one big explicit symphony of planning, communication, and administrative control. And sorry to burst another bubble but it also isn’t entirely a sublime jazz of silent nods, knowing glances and telepathic synching of movements. What it really is, is a controversial mélange of both explicit and implicit mechanisms vying for the same goal – a perfectly coordinated team.

Let's get into it deeper before you raise those eyebrows in disbelief. Explicit coordination? It’s the overt, conscious stuff - “You do this, I do that”, mapped roles and tasks, timelines, meetings, delegation. You get the picture. A virtual platform like KanBo is a godsend for this type of coordination - a command center for visible planning and communication.

Sounds great, right? Well, hold your horses. There's another equally (yes, equally) important beast in the jungle of coordination - implicit coordination. This improbable hero comes into the picture when there's a sweet synchronisation of team actions without a single spoken word. It's telepathy, really. When all members just know their roles and the roles of others and anticipate actions accordingly; when Bob over there doesn't need to be told that he needs to follow up once Joe completes his task. Intriguing, isn’t it? But it sounds like a fantasy land, doesn't it?

Here’s the controversial reality folks – this implicit coordination isn’t just a mythical unicorn, it's very much real and can be fostered! Enter KanBo. The activity stream in KanBo is the magic mirror providing real-time updates of tasks. Every action is recorded and visible to all members. Thereby, if Joe finishes his task, Bob can see this in real time and can take over. No need for a team meeting or the conch shell to speak!

Is your mind spinning faster than a top yet? Here comes the final curveball. Explicit and implicit coordination in work teams? They aren't two separate silos. They tag team! They work in tandem to manage tasks and balance resources efficiently, while making beautiful music together. Depending on factors like the urgency of work or the experience level of the team, one might take the lead. Think of it like the two wheels of a bike. Brand new, complex tasks? Explicit will be the trainer wheel. But as time grows and familiarity seeps in, implicit takes over.

Think it’s hogwash? Wel,l look around you. The legends of today's business world, the masters of orchestration don’t stick to only one rulebook. Sometimes they instruct and delegate, other times they silently steer their team members in the right direction. For them, facilitation platforms like KanBo aren't just a souped-up to-do list, it's an arena to optimize stellar coordination at all echelons.

In conclusion, let's suppress that reflex to pit explicit and implicit coordination against each other. Instead see them as a dynamic, controversial, and potent duo powering successful teams and ultimately, the titans in any business sector."

The rich insights and controversial spin of this article, exploring the paradigm of explicit and implicit coordination in teamwork, draw heavily from the academically-flavored research paper, “Coordination Processes in Work Teams” by Ramón Rico, Miriam Sánchez-Manzanares, Francisco Gil, Carlos María Alcover, and Carmen Tabernero from various esteemed Spanish Universities. This study cohesively deciphers the dynamics of team coordination, underscoring the importance of both explicit and implicit aspects in achieving team-based success. The lens for applying these research findings to a real-world scenario came in the form of the KanBo platform. This robust tool, with its comprehensive features targeting every facet of project and people management, provided the perfect backdrop to examine and exemplify the mechanisms of coordination in a modern professional environment. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236631144_Coordination_process_in_work_teams