Leaderless Teams and Nature: Meet the BioTeam

Leaderless teams are a concept that organizations such as Toyota have had great success with. Yet organizations still can't shake the old hierarchical concepts.

Enter Ken Thompson. Thompson has made a career out of studying nature with the purpose of learning how geese, penguins, ants, bees, dolphins, and other creatures communicate and accomplish their significant "projects" in the form of leaderless teams.

For instance, when geese change formation, it's often because the leader no longer knows where to go, so another goose needs to take over. Collectively, they know how to reach their destination. It's the same with migrating penguins. Each contributor is responsible for communicating key messages, taking over when needed, and acting in what they feel is in the best interest of the group.

This certainly has implications on the role of the project manager. I'm not saying the PM role isn't required, but the role could certainly be reframed or rethought in this context. It would be quite an interesting study.

The link below contains a 15 minute video interview with Thompson, where he explains the BioTeam approach. Also, visit his website at http://www.bioteams.com/. There are some fascinating articles there that offer new perspectives on team dynamics, virtual teaming, and virtual networks. For more on the leaderless approach, also check out the book, The Starfish and the Spider, by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom, which I blogged about last year on PMThink.

Meet the BioTeams Blogger PodTech.net: Technology and Entertainment Video Network

Mobile Computing for Engineering and Construction Projects

Groups partner to accelerate the integration of mobile computing into the engineering and construction industry. Mobility, instant access to information, and fast decision making can improve the efficiency and speed of the construction jobsite. ...

... "FIATECH and COMIT have already been working closely together on the Capital Projects Technology Roadmap Element #8 – Technology and Knowledge Enabled Workforce. COMIT has commissioned academic research into the cultural and human-centered factors related to mobile IT project implementation and will be publishing a final report on these findings in the fall of 2007. " ...

Via FIATech: Mobile IT in Construction

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The Thinking Person's Guide to Leadership

Every once in a while, I come across a website that's a goldmine of information. Fred Nickols' "Skullworks" is a good example. He has a wealth of thought provoking articles, by himself and others, in areas such as consulting, organizational development, training & performance, strategy, and more.

One article I found particularly interesting is the one on generalists vs. specialists, which happens to be one of the topics on my upcoming book (more on that soon).

As many knowledgable leaders know---and Fred Nickols is no exception---leadership and management are by no means simple. They require serious thought and carry significant responsibility. Reading just one or two of these types of articles a week can help make the difference between being a good leader and a great one.

Nickols runs a consulting company called "Distance Consulting," which focuses on helping organizations help themselves, a noble cause indeed. Here's the link to his articles.

Articles by Fred Nickols

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Should a role be dedicated to realizing the benefits of digitized business processes? Should this fall to the Chief Operating Officer, COO, if one exists? Ultimately, the role needs to drive adoption and ensure that business leaders are engaged. ...

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