(Re)Organize for Speed, Learning, and Focus

We have been trained to build products a certain way.

We organize ourselves into specialized teams (or departments)

that focus on different aspects of the innovation process.

On the one hand, such specialization is required for the efficiency of work.

But this kind of specialization can also be a curse.

Especially when deliverables are created in silos and

under different sets of KPIs (or key performance indicators).

I am not going to weigh in on

the merits of remote versus distributed teams,

or open versus closed workspaces.

What follows instead is my distillation of

the minimum set of attributes needed to organize a team

to maximize for speed, learning, and focus.

Small (no more five people per team)

Multi-disciplinary

Semi-autonomous

With your team built, the next step is

Charging them with a big goal under tight constraints.