Bioteams: The Next Frontier of Business Process Management
Stumble It!Support for collaboration is the hot discussion in BPM circles these days, and for good reason. It’s the human-to-human interactions of teams that count when it comes to innovation and agility. ... you and everyone you work with must be able to function in and through internal and multi-company teams, and must also grasp what the latest concept of “team” really means….
Read the full article from BPMInstitute.org.
About the Author
Ken Thompson is author of "Bioteams: High Performance Teams Based on Nature's Most Successful Designs"
Tags: bioteams, BPM, organizational teams
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Bioteams Books Reviews
When Rational People Make Irrational Choices
Ori Brafman introduces his forthcoming book, “Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior” by sharing a very sobering tale which illustrates how even the most trusted professionals (airline pilots) can depart wildly from the rational under certain pressure conditions.
Buy it now from:
Amazon.Com
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The Trinity of all Living Systems - A Design Framework for Bioteams. Dr Humberto Maturana and Dr Franciso Varela, 2 Chilean biologist/neuroscientists, in their ground-breaking book "The Tree of Knowledge - The Biological Roots of Human Understanding" [1] suggest a simple but profound model, represented graphically below, which wonderfully captures the essence of living systems.
Wired Magazine features Bioteams
Are you smarter than a goose? Sure you are -- one on one. But when it comes to working efficiently, you and your colleagues can't touch the gaggle. According to author Ken Thompson, geese and other animals that naturally form groups have a lot to teach us about business. In a theory he calls organizational biomimetics, Thompson lays out the principles underlying nature's management strategies. So what can you learn from a bird or an ant? Take a gander. Katharine Gammon at Wired Magazine reports.
Agreed!
I have described the typical model as a football team where you are only allowed to pass the ball to the captain.
Great Analogy Jo - I will use that!!!!
I am a soccer fanatic and I could not see even Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid or Barcelona winning much playing that way!
Regards
Ken
Hi Jo
Based on your comment have a look at this
http://www.bioteams.com/2008/05/04/sports_teams_and.html#more
Best Regards
Ken
Hi Ken,
I will be speaking of Biomomicry at the BPM conference in Orlando next week and want to add your book and concepts to my presentation.
In my constant search for examples of Biomimicry in business and design, you came up some weeks ago. I was happy to see your article in BPM magazine on the web. It makes a good connection from my organic examples in design to corporate governance.
In my 25 years as an outside consultant and designer for corporate advertising departments, I have seen the command and control, collide and collapse many times. I have often wondered why the same cycle seems to appear in in-house situations. New teams seem to eventually partition themselves in hierarchy that is unsustainable. As people begin to leave the remainder seem to isolate themselves, as if to avoid injury.
Have a good week.
Dan Halsey
Hi Don
Thanks for your kind comments - it also puzzles me why my so many teams stick with C&C. My theory is that in many situations it is easier/better/safer for individuals to play the team game with the hidden goal of avoiding individual failure than than the stated goal of seeking collective success.
I have many examples of teams who started to play for the collective win goal and changed midproject to the "avoiding the individual blame goal". When this happens - usually due to a leadership failure - the team crosses the line and they all switch-off the "looking out for each other" early warning system to just look out for number 1.
Good luck at the conference - if you need anything let me know
Best Regards
Ken