Step 1: Let’s break down the barriers: whom am I working with? (Personal Maps)

Let′s get some context, the team was quite dispersed: there were people who worked from the provider’s offices, people who did Home Office 2 or 3 times a week, people who were remote in another city, several of the guys who were in person (they only talked only using slack), they were separated on different floors and offices within the same building. Normally it was a team that did not have so much communication with each other, about personal stuff or regarding the product they were adding value to. we know that it is essential that the team needs to know each other and achieve cohesion in order to form the team as such.

In the beginning, the quarantine was issued in Argentina, (a small detail), which made it necessary to modify all the planning of how to implement these steps and change it to virtual form.

As a first step to break the communication barriers was to stop seeing the other as the role they were playing and start to see the other as the person behind, the interests that they probably shared and not having this type of contact, they didn’t know.

By joining the team as an Agile Coach, I had the luck and freedom (which I am very grateful for) to be able to think about the dynamics and propose these steps and act on the development of the team to achieve success in the company.

We started with something super simple … in the first retrospective that I had to facilitate, he first thing I realized is that they didn′t know each other, the better way to implement this is Management 3.0`s Personal Maps (this dynamic consists of a synoptic table where each one puts their name in the center and then make connections with each part of his life that he wants to share) where each one began to realize who the others were, who am I working with? What ice cream`s taste do we have in common? What things do we not like? ? or the “we live so close and we didn’t know it”, this turned out very well to be done through the tool called “Miró”, in which it can be done collaboratively. In this context where each one was making and sharing the Personal Map, it is very useful to break the ice with a more relaxed environment, not as a usual retrospective′s climate, but a more playful environment, with cameras, turned on more for enjoyment and with music that fosters the team member's opening, (these seems insignificant, silly details, but these are the details that break the ice).

Example of Personal maps:

Once the boys finished assembling, the sharing round began … clearly the opening climate was armed at the moment while each one read or showed their personal map. In the beginning, it′s really useful to start with a question like .. “you didn′t say it, but … which is your favorite movie?”, This was done as a trigger that in which the other members did the same and were break the barrier, not only inquire about more superficial things such as a movie or an ice cream flavor but also take into account a fundamental factor in building trust, vulnerability. Showing ourselves vulnerable it allows us to see ourselves reflected in the other, generate empathy and a genuine connection with the other from a human point of view and with this we can attack a dysfunctionality of the teams (if you are interested you can read The Tuckman′s Model and the 5 team malfunctions).

Once the activity ended and there was already a much greater degree of confidence, a feeling of closeness, and when we realized it, they were recommending series to see and setting up a WhatsApp group.

This experience drastically changed the way of communication, not only in ceremonies but also at the general level of the team; clearly promoted contact, we had connection links between all and generated lunches, talks outside the workplace.

Some photos of the dynamics executed in Miro:

As a next step, I found a new topic to take: the team, although they were beginning to get to know each other, there were things that they had to solve to continue moving on. So we should take the time to analyze the path traveled … but that … is another article.