How to help your team ‘build back better’: A boot camp on flexible working - Lesson 5

This is Lesson 5 in the boot camp 'How to help your team ‘build back better': A boot camp on flexible working’.

In this week’s task, one of the most crucial, your team will define ‘how’ they will make it work – the guiding principles and parameters they will use to interact effectively and ensure everyone is on a level playing field. How will you communicate with each other? What meetings will be online, and what absolutely has to be face to face (and with notice)? How will you foster collaboration with other teams – is there a tech solution that removes the need to rely on co-location and happenstance? How will you check if it is working, and how often? What else do you need to do to make it work?

A useful conversation starter is a pre/post mortem activity. In the pre-mortem, consider as a team what you did or put in place to ensure your new way of working succeeded. In the post-mortem, consider what you did not do that meant it failed. Looking at it from dual perspectives ensures are more failsafe approach, and encourages everyone to think critically.

After you’ve done a first draft, step back as a team and consider these rules against your flexibility plan (Activity 4) and again against your business, team and individual outcomes (Activity 2).

This week's activities

1: Watch video (2 mins) Watch this video to hear from Catherine Coghlan about what to expect from this week's lesson.

2: Complete activity 5 (10 mins) Complete activity 5, to establish your team's 'rules of the road'. You'll establish guiding principles of communication, and consider what could go well — or could go wrong. You can print the PDF, or write your answers down.

3: Compare your answers (10 mins) If your team members are taking the boot camp with you, compare your answers with theirs. You can also compare your answers with this example for reference, or if you're completing the boot camp on your own.

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