Unpopular Opinion but… Collaboration will kill your Productivity

I know it is a bit provocative, especially from an agile coach and facilitator :-) but bear with me and picture this:

You're a C-level executive who's just embraced agile methodologies, expecting a surge in productivity. Instead, you're drowning in a sea of meetings, your teams seem perpetually busy yet oddly unproductive, and that game-changing product launch? It's months behind schedule. ??

If this scenario hits close to home, you're not alone. As someone who's been navigating the choppy waters of product management and agile methodologies since the dot-com boom, I've watched this story unfold time and time again. The culprit? An insidious belief that more collaboration always equals better results.

The Agile Promise vs. Reality

When agile burst onto the scene, it promised a revolution in how we work. Flexibility, customer-centricity, and yes, collaboration were the pillars of this new approach. And in many ways, agile delivered. But like any powerful tool, it can cause harm when misused. ???

The reality in many organisations, especially in the frenetic world of startups and scale-ups, is far from the agile ideal. We've created a monster: a culture where being constantly available, always in meetings, and perpetually 'collaborating' is seen as the hallmark of a good team player.

But here's the kicker: this hyper-collaborative environment is often the very thing standing in the way of real progress.

The Hidden Costs of Over-Collaboration

Let's delve deeper into the real impact of excessive teamwork:

1. Meeting Mayhem: ?? It's not uncommon for managers and team leads to spend upwards of 70% of their time in meetings. That's 28 hours in a 40-hour work week! When do we expect these people to do their actual jobs? Example: A product manager I coached was attending 25 hours of meetings per week. After we cut this down to 15 hours, she finally had time to conduct proper user research, leading to a significant pivot that saved the company money in potential misdirected development efforts.
2. The Illusion of Productivity: ?? Constant activity – Slack messages, emails, quick catch-ups – can feel like productivity. But it's often just busywork that keeps us from tackling the meaty, complex problems that drive real progress. Example: At a fintech startup I advised, developers were averaging only 1-2 hours max of uninterrupted coding time per day. The rest was spent in standups, impromptu discussions, and responding to messages. No wonder their sprint velocity was abysmal ??
3. Death by Consensus:?? In an attempt to be inclusive, some teams try to involve everyone in every decision. This not only slows things down but often leads to watered-down solutions that please no one. Example: A product team I worked with spent three weeks and countless meetings trying to agree on the colour scheme for the new homepage. In the end, they went with a 'safe' option that failed to stand out in the market.
4. The Creativity Crunch: ?? While brainstorming sessions can be valuable, true innovation often requires deep, focused thought. When was the last time you had a eureka moment in the middle of a crowded meeting? The inventor of the Post-it note at 3M came up with the idea during his personal experimentation time, not in a team brainstorming session.
5. Burnout and Stress: ?? Constant collaboration can be exhausting, especially for introverts. It's a recipe for burnout, leading to decreased productivity and increased turnover. Example: A high-performing UX designer I know nearly quit her dream job because she couldn't find quiet time to think and create. We solved this by implementing 'monk mode' mornings where no one could be disturbed before noon.

The Spotify Saga: A Personal Case Study

During my time collaborating with Spotify, I witnessed firsthand the challenges of balancing collaboration and individual work in a rapidly scaling environment. The company's ethos of radical agility and collaboration had fueled its initial success, but as they scaled, productivity began to suffer.

The symptoms were classic:

• Engineers complained about not having enough time to code
• Product managers were stuck in an endless cycle of meetings
• Decision-making slowed to a crawl as more and more people were included in every discussion

We tackled this by implementing several key changes:

1. More autonomy and clearer delegation rules: We doubled down on Spotify's squad model, but with a twist. Each squad was given clearer boundaries and more decision-making power, reducing the need for cross-team alignment on every small decision.
2. No-Meeting Wednesdays (or Fridays, pick your day): We introduced a company-wide policy of no internal meetings on Wednesdays. This gave everyone a full day for deep, focused work.
3. Asynchronous Updates: Instead of daily standups, we moved to asynchronous text updates on Slack. This allowed team members to share progress and blockers without interrupting their workflow.
4. Focus Time Tracking: We started measuring 'focus time' alongside other metrics. This helped highlight the importance of uninterrupted work and influenced how managers evaluated productivity.
5. Collaboration Spaces vs. Quiet Zones: Office spaces were designed to include both collaborative areas and quiet, focused work zones.

Using those tiny shifts, helped us to lower the burden of collaboration and Spotify was able to maintain its collaborative culture while significantly boosting individual and team productivity.

Striking the Right Balance

So, how do we harness the power of collaboration without letting it overrun our productivity? Here are some strategies that have proven effective:

1. Implement 'Core Collaboration Hours': ??? Designate specific hours (e.g., 10am-2pm) for meetings and collaborative work. Keep the rest of the day meeting-free for focused individual work.
2. Embrace Asynchronous Communication: ?? Use tools like Loom for video updates or shared documents for project status reports. This allows team members to engage with information when it suits their workflow.
3. Establish Clear Decision-Making Protocols: ?? Define who the decision-maker is for different types of choices. Not every decision needs to be made by consensus.
4. Create a 'Library' Culture: ?? Just as libraries have quiet zones, create spaces (both physical and temporal) where interruptions are discouraged and deep work is prioritized.
5. Regularly Audit Meetings: ?? Review recurring meetings quarterly. Ask: Is this meeting necessary? Could it be shorter or less frequent? Could it be an email instead?
6. Encourage 'Think Time': ?? Make it culturally acceptable (and even encouraged) for team members to block out time in their calendars for thinking and planning.
7. Teach Collaboration Skills: ?? Effective collaboration is a skill. Invest in training your team on how to run efficient meetings, when to escalate issues, and how to communicate clearly.

The Path Forward

The most successful teams I've worked with have mastered the art of 'conscious collaboration' – knowing when to come together and when to work independently. They understand that collaboration is a tool, not an end in itself.

For those looking to dive deeper into this topic, I highly recommend:

• "Deep Work" by Cal Newport
• "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain
• "Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World" by General Stanley McChrystal

These books offer valuable insights into the power of focused work, the importance of solitude in creativity, and how to structure teams for optimal performance.

Remember, the goal isn't to eliminate collaboration but to make it more intentional and effective. By doing so, we can create work environments that truly foster both innovation and productivity.

Are you grappling with finding the right balance between collaboration and individual productivity in your team? Let's connect and explore how we can tailor these strategies to your unique context.

#ProductivityRevolution #AgileEvolution #TechLeadership #ConsciousCollaboration