New Ways of Working #10
This edition marks the tenth new ways of working newsletter š I hope youāve enjoyed them so far and this feels like a good moment to check in on that. Iām curious to know what you'd like to see more off and/or less of? Do you have suggestions for how I can make the newsletter better? Please hit reply with your thoughts as I would love to hear them. And to help you to feedback on it, hereās the purpose of the newsletter:
To help you to discover, explore and practise new ways of working.
In this edition, Iām sharing:
A short how-to article on potentially the most powerful practise in the world of new ways of working.
A video of a conversation between experts about the best new ways of working practises they know.
A lovely, simple tool to help you get to know your colleagues better (and in turn to drive helpfulness and become a better team).
A fab free tool from the makers of Miro to help you turn Google Docs into a knowledge base (all teams should have one!).
Article Ā š
If you are interested in trying a fast, fun and safe way of making decisions then this tiny blog - Consensus, the worst C-word? - has everything you need, including a short video walkthrough. I am LOVING your work, Tim Shand! āāāāā (3 mins).
To me, healthy meeting and distributed decision-making practises are the gateway drugs of new ways of working. And this particular decision-making method might just be the most powerful practise in the world of new ways of working.
VideoĀ š„
Which practices are absolutely critical to a new ways of working journey? This is the question that a lovely group of experts helped me to explore in a recent conversation. You can revisit or catch up on this conversation below (47 mins).
Tool #1 š§
Those of you who have been reading from the launch of the newsletter might recall me sharing Margaret Heffernanās wonderful TED Talk, Forget the pecking order at work. In it, we learn that the key to being a great team is social connectedness and that itās what happens between people that really counts.
Helpfulness is absolutely core to successful teams, routinely outperforming individual intelligence. And what drives helpfulness is getting to know each other, which takes effort, encouragement and time.
So try this simple, free and easy tool to get to know your colleagues better š¤
Tool #2Ā š§
Knowledge bases are verrry common in progressive organisations. If your team doesnāt have one that clearly defines your roles and team agreements then itās a great idea to begin creating one. And good news - clever people that helped to create Miro (a beautiful collaboration platform) have built an awesome free tool to help you do this!
Create a single source of truth for all project documentation, on all stages. Turn Google Drive into a hub for everything your team is working on.
*If you donāt use Google then you can try āNotionā.
Help š
Iād like to ask aĀ smallĀ favour. Iād love for you to share this newsletter with one or more colleagues or networks who might be curious or find it helpful. The more awareness we raise, the sooner we reduce the woeful statistic thatĀ 85% of us are disengaged at work. That is the problem, and we are the solution.
Until next time,Ā you can find me here.
AboutĀ Mark Eddleston
Iām a new ways of working nerd, consultant, and trainer. For years Iāve been practising progressive ways of working whilst synthesising the mountain of information out there.
I came across new ways of working in New Zealand in 2015 after spending a frustrating decade in traditional workplaces. It was the first time I found consistent fulfilment in work. This beautiful and challenging experience was with a law firm and community organisation that features on the distinguishedĀ Corporate Rebels ābucket listā. Once you taste this way of working, itās impossible to go back. Iāve now been a member of staff in three organisations that embraced progressive leadership, so come with plenty of lived experience.
Iām the founder ofĀ Reinventing Work, a global community and playground for people interested in decentralised, purposeful and self-organised ways of working. So far weāve gathered in over 25 cities across five continents, including in Bristol (where it began) London, Berlin, Melbourne, Montreal and New York. Iāve delivered online sessions to thousands, spoken about new ways of working at The University of Oxford, and facilitated atĀ Meaning Fringe. Iāve also appeared on the wonderfulĀ Leadermorphosis podcastĀ and the University of the West of Englandās MSc Occupational Psychology programme discussing theĀ future of work.
My services:Ā https://www.marco.work.