Teamcraft
Introducing... Teamcraft
Andrew MacLaren is an academic who researches teamwork. Mark Ridley is an accomplished Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and consultant, who has extensive experience leading and working within with various teams throughout his career. In this introductory episode of the first season, our hosts Andrew and Mark introduce the concept of Teamcraft. They delve into the key aspects of this concept and share insights from their own experiences. Additionally, they discuss the standout moments from the ...
Leadership and followership in military teams
Our guest today is Lt Colonel Matt Johns MBE After graduating from University, Matt started his career as an officer in the British Army in 2005, going through the Army’s world-renowned Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. This was an intense period for the UK armed forces with conflict going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Matt did multiple deployments as well as time in Kenya and Germany. He then went back to work in the delivery of the officer training programme at the Sandhurst Military...
Innovation, flexibility and disruption with Ricardo Moral & Hernan Griboff
Parser is a software development and digital transformation business, founded by Ricardo and Hernan in 2017 and with clients and offices around the world. Parser offer their clients expertise in Digital Strategy & Transformation, Digital Portfolio Management and Product Development, which is primarily achieved by placing Parser teams within their client’s organisation. As CEO, Ricardo sets and drives Parser’s organisational vision. Before Parser, Ricardo was responsible for building larg...
Culture and team performance in a global advertising giant
Alina is a Global Client Leader at WPP, a leading international marketing communications company. She has over 25 years of experience building global brands for large multinational clients, helping them grow their business through communications, experience, commerce and technology. Originally from the Ukraine and a US national, Alina has lived and worked in the UK, US, Australia and Germany, where she was CEO of Grey Advertising and, later, of DDB Tribal Group. In today’s episode, we hear ab...
Teamwork at sea - lessons from the Royal Navy
Susie served for 17 years as an Officer in the Royal Navy, where she was a Marine Engineer. After a service career that took her all over the world working on frigates and Aircraft carriers, she retired from the Navy and moved into the private sector, working in oil and gas. From there she moved to the charity sector where she worked as head of external relations for the veterans residences association. After 14 years there, she recently took up the position of Veteran’s Commissioner for Scot...
Lessons in teamwork from the rugby locker room
Luke is an international rugby player who plays for Edinburgh Rugby and the Scotland national team. Luke was recently part of Scotland’s successful six nations campaign, where they finished third, their highest finish in recent years. As someone who has progressed through the grass roots of rugby playing for Livingston and Currie Rugby, he has demonstrated his skills both technically and as a leader, recently captaining the Scotland As squad during their tour of South America. Expect to hear ...
Tech teams, psychological safety and 11am pints
If you’ve listened to the podcast so far, you’ll know that Mark is my co-host. We received some feedback that people would like to hear a bit about us, how we got to be so interested in teamwork and what our own current thinking is on some of the themes we cover in our conversations with guests. Mark is a Chief Technology Officer with over two decades of experience that span the dotcom boom and crash and a global technology revolution. Expect to hear about: what tech gets right and wrong with...
Academic teams, communication and lessons from the tennis court
Our guest today is Andrew MacLaren. For those of you who have been following the series, you’ll know that Andrew is the co-host of the Teamcraft podcast. We received some feedback that people would like to hear a bit about us, how we got to be so interested in teamwork and what our own current thinking is on some of the themes we cover in our conversations with guests. Dr Andrew MacLaren is a lecturer based at the CREWS research centre at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. His research is p...
Team Communication 101 - checklists, culture and CCT
Communication is arguably the most important criteria for a team to exist. Without communication we can't share a goal, distribute tasks or celebrate a success. In this epidsode, Andrew introduces research which considers how teams are created through communication, and Mark reflects on the less obvious but powerful impact that cultural differences have on communication in teams. In this episode we talk about: Teams are constituted through communication - the way team members talk to...
A short history of teams - from fossils to the digital age
In this episode of "Teamcraft," co-hosts Mark Ridley and Andrew Maclaren discuss the evolution of teamwork from its early origins in human and primate ancestors to modern practices in various industries. They explore how teamwork has been influenced by historical, societal, and technological changes, emphasising the adaptability and uniqueness of human collaboration. In this episode we talk about: The Evolution of Teamwork from our early human ancestors to modern times, highlighting key evolu...
The story of the Tuckman team model
In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman described how teams move through stages of team maturity, which he christened "forming, storming, norming, and performing". In this episode, Andrew and Mark delve into the intricacies of Bruce Tuckman's famous team development model. They discuss its origins, practical applications, limitations, and the impact on modern team dynamics. We explore Tuckman's background, the history of the model and the paper that introduced it, modern criticism of the mo...
The power of personality and reflection in teams with Dave Winsborough
“We need to put aside our selfish impulses and wants and subsume those for helping make our colleagues successful and ultimately the team successful.” Mark and Andrew are joined by Dave Winsborough, an organisational psychologist, entrepreneur and author. We explore the differences between teams and groups, the challenges of artificial team stimulation, the importance of psychological safety, the power of rituals in teams, and the role of personality in team dynamics. We also discuss the mis...
Systems thinking in teams - socio-technical design and the Tavistock Institute
In this Teamcraft episode, Mark and Andrew talk about their fascination with the origins and evolution of the word "team", and how it came to indicate near-magical properties of cooperation when compared to other words like ‘group’, or perhaps, ‘committee’... The journey starts with the discovery that there are some misattributions of the word team gaining its special meaning, but that it may well have been emergent in groundbreaking research by the Tavistock Institute in the 1950s and 1960s....
Assembling and managing teams in law firms
"The lawyer should be on tap, but never on top. It's got to be the client's issue. It's got to be their fight, and you should be there ready for the advice, ready for putting the case, whatever it is" In this episode, Mark and Andrew welcome Hannah Blom-Cooper, a seasoned civil fraud lawyer and partner at Greenberg Traurig. Hannah provides a fascinating look into the world of litigation, the distinct roles of solicitors and barristers, and the intricacies of insolvency law. She shares her ex...
The intricacies of language in teamwork - Chomsky, Pinker and friends
In this episode, Andrew explores the intricate role language plays in effective teamwork. We delve into the evolutionary anthropology of language, debates in linguistics and a comparison of the works of Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker, and the impact of communication protocols in high-stakes environments like aviation and deep space missions. We learn about the distinctions between language and communication, the significance of storytelling, common ground, and shared mental models in team dyn...
Team-Based Learning in Education
In this episode, Mark and Andrew welcome the award winning Dr. Gemma Quinn, Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Bradford. Gemma discusses her pioneering work in implementing team-based learning (TBL) as a teaching strategy in pharmacy education. She explains the TBL structure, including the formation of diverse student teams, pre-work, readiness assurance tests, and application exercises. Gemma goes on to highlights the positive outcomes of TBL, such as better ex...
Social Loafing and the Ringelmann Effect
In this episode, Mark and Andrew dig into the story of the Ringelmann Effect, a phenomenon first observed by French academic Max Ringelmann that suggests that individuals produce less output when they’re in a group. They explore the historical context of Ringelmann's research and compare it with later research that coined the terms ‘social loafing’ and ‘the Sucker effect’. Discussing studies by Ingham, Latane, and Kerr, and their own insights, Mark & Andrew uncover how individ...
Virtual Teams (Part 1) - From Smoke Signals to Video Calls
In this episode, Mark Ridley and Andrew Maclaren explore the evolution and challenges of virtual teams. Inspired by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s recent call for employees to return to the office, our hosts discuss what defines a virtual team, the importance of trust and shared context, and how physical environments impact team dynamics. Historical examples, from Byzantine smoke signals to Apollo missions, illustrate that remote teamwork has been around longer than we may think. They also di...
Virtual Teams (Part 2) - Mars Missions and Meeting Rooms
In this Teamcraft episode, continuing the earlier discussion in Part 1, Andrew and Mark dive deeper into the challenges and dynamics of virtual teams. They build on previous discussions, drawing from real-world examples, research insights, and their own experiences to explore the nuances of remote and hybrid team collaboration. Exploring communication protocols, cultural differences, and the unique demands of virtual team leadership, they discuss practical tips for fostering connection and m...
Punks & Pitches - Teams Inside Venture Capital
In this Teamcraft episode, Andrew and Mark are joined by Laura Wilming, Head of Portfolio Talent at Octopus Ventures, to explore the dynamics of startup teams and venture capital. From handing out samples at a supermarket during BrewDog’s early days to scaling Harry’s from a team of of only twelve people, we hear about Laura’s journey culminating in her insights from working across the portfolio of one of Europe’s largest venture capital firms. Laura shares her stories and insights abo...
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