solid teamwork feels like lightning in a bottle. there are those times when things just click, team members jive, and making progress together feels almost effortless (and even enjoyable).

but predictably and routinely achieving that level of synergy? that’s a little more complicated.

fortunately, familiarizing yourself with must-have skills and teamwork examples can help you identify the building blocks of effective collaboration and transform that magical teamwork-makes-the-dream-work feeling from elusive to routine.

teamwork example #1: team alignment

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by shaina rozen in teamwork

research shows that higher levels of organizational alignment lead to better performance and an edge over competitors. but what does alignment actually mean? every team member must agree on: 

• goals: what objective is the team working toward? 
• roles: who is responsible for what? 
• success metrics: how will you know when you’ve reached your goal? 
• timeline: what is the deadline for achieving your goal?

nasa’s 1969 moon landing is one of the most notable examples of this teamwork principle in action. more than 400,000 engineers, technicians, and scientists were involved in that successful mission – and they all stayed intensely focused on their shared goal and their contributions.

put it into practice on your team

• set specific shared goals for your entire team using a goal-setting framework (more on that in the next section).
  
• run the roles and responsibilities play to clarify who does what on your team.
  
• dedicate a portion of your team meetings to checking in on goal progress, addressing confusion, and removing roadblocks.

teamwork example #2: goal-setting

look back at the 1969 moon landing and you’ll see that it all started when president john f. kennedy stated an audacious goal: “this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out. of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.”

you might think your team’s objectives are common knowledge, but many employees lack clarity into what their team is working toward and how their contributions support that vision. according to recent gallup research, only 47% of employees strongly agree they know what is expected of them at work. 

setting specific goals – both at a team and individual level – can help. research shows that setting clear goals improves team performance and also helps people feel more connected to the organization.

put it into practice on your team

• use objectives and key results (okrs) or the smart goals framework to set goals that offer clarity rather than confusion.
  
• run the team goals, signals, and measures play to collaboratively define goals and success indicators – research shows involving team members in the goal-setting process increases their investment in achieving them.
  
• set regular milestones and check-in points to monitor progress and course correct when necessary.

teamwork example #3: communication

communication skills are as fundamental to effective teamwork as instruments are to a symphony. it’s impossible for team members to work well together if they’re unable to successfully talk to each other.

it seems basic enough. but, unfortunately, so many factors – from biases to different styles – can run your team’s communication off the rails and hinder collaboration.

there’s perhaps no better teamwork example that illustrates the importance of communication than the mars climate orbiter. the spacecraft burned up in mars’ atmosphere due to a navigation error. the cause of that error? failure to translate english units to metric. had team members communicated with each other more effectively, the mission would’ve had an entirely different result.

put it into practice on your team

• commit to active listening to ensure complete understanding before replying with your own two cents.
  
• invest the time and energy into improving your own communication skills as a leader (30% of employees say they’re frustrated by unclear communication from their bosses).
  
• set communication rules and norms to guide employees, such as instructions on when to use specific communication channels.

teamwork example #4: emotional intelligence

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according to research, to “promote positive, progressive, effective working environments, team members need to have a combination of technical knowledge and well-developed emotional intelligence.” 

emotional intelligence may seem ambiguous, but it can be boiled down to several key attributes:

• self-awareness: you can pinpoint your moods and how they affect others.
• self-regulation: you can take a beat and manage your emotions before reacting.
• motivation: you have a grasp of what drives you in your work (beyond a paycheck).
• empathy: you can identify and understand the emotions of other people.
• social skills: you can use that emotional understanding to build stronger relationships.

simply put, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand the emotional undercurrent of yourself and your team members and employ that understanding during interactions with others. if you pick up on the fact that your colleague is already having a terrible day, it’s probably not the best time to share some hard-to-hear feedback.

take captain chelsey b. sullenberger iii (captain “sully”) and his crew on us airways flight 1549, who safely landed a plane of 155 people on the hudson river in january 2009, as one strong example. despite the high-pressure situation, sully, his co-pilot, the flight attendants, and the air traffic controller maintained their composure to keep passengers calm and, most importantly, safe. 

put it into practice on your team

• encourage every team member to create their own user manual to share their working style, communication preferences, and other details that help people better understand how to work with them.
  
• complete the johari window exercise as a team to help people better understand themselves and how they’re perceived by other members of the team.
  
• solicit 360-degree feedback to develop a deeper and more well-rounded understanding of yourself and your work.
  
• do a quick emotion check-in before each team meeting by asking people to describe their day in one word or share a gif or emoji that describes their mood.

teamwork example #5: psychological safety

when a team has a high level of psychological safety, its members feel like they’re able to share out-of-the-box ideas, take risks, and make mistakes without any fear of judgment or reprimand.

this not only builds a more positive and supportive team environment but also enables organizations to innovate quickly and roll with the punches when changes inevitably crop up.

so how do you make people feel comfortable and supported? google did tons of in-depth research into the characteristics of their best teams. psychological safety topped the list of the most important ingredients. specifically, teams who were able to be vulnerable with each other outperformed others. 

now, some google teams kick off every team meeting by sharing a risk taken during the previous week – whether it was successful or not. it’s an easy-to-implement norm that makes everybody feel safer talking about their wins and their successes.

put it into practice on your team

• host regular retrospectives where team members can look back at their work together and talk about what went well, what didn’t, and what they learned.
  
• model vulnerability by openly talking with your team about your successes, failures, challenges, and frustrations.
  
• set audacious stretch goals to help your team get more comfortable with taking risks (and failing).

teamwork example #6: decision-making

even when team members work well together, it isn’t always smooth sailing. unexpected curveballs and last-minute fires challenge the team to stick together and move forward – even when tensions are high.

the 2010 rescue of the 33 chilean miners who were trapped underground after the mine caved in is a fitting teamwork example here. the chilean government and rescue teams established a unified command center (which included engineers, geologists, medical personnel, and rescue workers) to assess different rescue methods and make quick decisions. the operation was ultimately successful, with all 33 miners brought safely to surface.

this dramatic situation speaks to the importance of effective problem-solving and decision-making skills. with these critical thinking skills in their back pockets, team members can understand situations, adapt to changing circumstances, and make quick decisions (without endless bickering and in-fighting).

put it into practice on your team

• familiarize your team with a reliable decision-making process so you all know what steps to take when faced with a pressing choice.
  
• when faced with a problem, conduct a 5 whys analysis to go beyond surface-level symptoms and understand the root cause of a problem.
  
• when you can, give your team adequate time to explore a problem or make a decision – research shows that rushed decisions are often regrettable ones.

teamwork example #7: intentional planning

sure, there are those rare times when you fly by the seat of your pants and everything works out. but most of the time – whether it’s the chicago cubs’ 2016 world series win or starbucks’ impressive 2009 rebound – you need a thoughtful and thorough plan to guide people from point a to point z. intentional planning takes shape on teams in a number of ways, including:

• creating agendas for every meeting to keep conversations on track
• completing capacity plans so that everybody understands each other’s bandwidth
• drafting project plans and timelines so everybody knows the next steps
• establishing onboarding and training processes for new members
• identifying and standardizing processes and workflows
  

all those points require foresight and give team alignment a boost, too. and it’s definitely better than letting everybody wing it while you hope for the best.

put it into practice on your team

• schedule a project kickoff meeting ahead of every new project or initiative to sync on project goals, milestones, and roles.
  
• create a project poster to define a problem and a project’s scope and then keep that information somewhere visible and accessible for everyone.

teamwork example #8: healthy conflict

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effective teamwork isn’t all high-fives and happy hours. teamwork pillars like emotional intelligence and team alignment can help avoid some tension, but that doesn’t mean your team will never butt heads. 

take the united states’ founding fathers as just one of many examples. in 1787, times were tense and the entire system of government was in a steady tailspin. the country’s brightest lawmakers came together to discuss what a new government system might look like. the meeting was reportedly plagued with near-constant debate and bickering, but something important came out of those tough conversations: the u.s. constitution. 

it’s proof that conflict is not inherently a bad thing. some conflicts – provided they’re handled respectfully – can be constructive.

disagreements teach team members how to deal with difficult situations, give them an opportunity to listen to each other, and nudge them to consider alternate viewpoints. the result is often increased understanding, higher engagement, greater commitment, and even better team cohesion.

put it into practice on your team

• run the working agreements play to create a shared list of expectations with your team so that you can steer around potential misunderstandings and save your energy for more meaningful disputes.
  
• put a plan in place to help team members escalate problems to the appropriate person when necessary.

teamwork example #9: inclusivity

there’s been tons of research about how diverse teams perform better. but if you really want to reap the benefits of diversity, as diversity consultant vernā myers puts it, it’s not enough to invite people to the party – you need to ask them to dance.

inclusivity means everybody on your team feels welcomed, supported, and valued regardless of their background, perspectives, and ideas.

this isn’t something that just happens by putting people on the same team. it requires consistent thought and effort – by you and every single team member – to ensure nobody feels forgotten or frozen out. this sense of belonging pays off in the form of better performance and increased retention.

put it into practice on your team

• be mindful of language (such as gendered or ableist language) to foster inclusive communication on your team.
  
• run the inclusive meetings play to ensure balanced participation in all of your meetings.
  
• honor and celebrate a wide range of traditions and holidays together.

teamwork example #10: rituals and routines

team rituals might seem like frivolous indulgences, but they’re surprisingly important – and they’re a long-running part of the human experience, with some dating back tens of thousands of years.  

but why are rituals so valuable? the short answer is that they emphasize unity. 

“the function of a shared group ritual is to allow an individual to participate fully in the social world by affiliating with fellow group members, reaffirming one’s position in the group, and sharing in important social conventions and cultural knowledge,” research says. 

take the nhl playoff beard as one example. it’s been a tradition since the early 1980s when the new york islanders won four straight championships without shaving their scruff during the playoff period. now, every nhl team sets down their razors during the playoff season. teams keep their beards until they’re eliminated, and the last team standing keeps the facial hair until the official team stanley cup photo is taken. after that, it’s a clean slate – and a messy bathroom.

put it into practice on your team

• run the ritual reset play to understand what rituals and routines are working well for your team and which ones should be amended or removed.
  
• institute new rituals on your team – whether it’s taking turns asking icebreaker questions before every team meeting or coming up with a tradition for each team member’s birthday.

teamwork takes…well, work

there’s nothing quite like the magic of effective teamwork. but while smooth collaboration might seem effortless on the surface, it’s usually anything but. that level of synergy takes conscious effort.

the good news? effective teamwork is a skill – and that means it’s something you can work to improve both individually and together. use the above teamwork examples as your starting point and you’re on your way to the type of teamwork that brings you together (rather than drives you apart).

the post 10 teamwork examples to inspire your best work together appeared first on work life by atlassian.

see if this scenario sounds familiar:

i was in a post-mortem meeting once that grew heated because a senior stakeholder was singling out an engineering manager, blaming them for circumstances that were completely beyond their control.

incidents and outages are unavoidable, and they don’t feel good. we’re trained to restore service as quickly as possible while communicating with our stakeholders and customers, and our leaders generally trust us to do that.

in that postmortem i described above, i felt this trust had broken down from the stakeholder’s direction. the incident should have been a learning opportunity, but instead devolved into a blame game. in hindsight, i wish i’d spoken up in defense of this manager – but because of the stakeholder’s seniority, i didn’t.

experiences like this one reinforce the importance of a blameless culture – a manifestation of psychological safety where individuals and teams can examine and react to incidents, outages, and problems with full transparency – without making anyone feel they’ll be punished.

whether they inadvertently ran a command that resulted in something going wrong or they have knowledge of a lurking “skeleton in the closet,” a blameless culture enables individuals to speak up on issues that may otherwise be covered up due to fear.

the importance of blameless culture

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i’m a senior incident process owner on the atlassian engineering team. when your day-to-day work involves incident mitigation and post-incident reviews (pirs), blamelessness isn’t just “right” – it’s critical to success. but i’m also a firm believer that any organization and any team can benefit from the basic principles of blamelessness, transparency, and psychological safety – and suffer the consequences if it’s not a priority.

a fellow atlassian, modern work evangelist mark cruth, says that “the most important quality of a high-performing team is having psychological safety. at atlassian, we spend tons of time researching what creates healthy, high-performing teams, and time and time again, psychological safety rises to the top.”

blame isn’t just uncomfortable in the moment; it poisons the well, inhibiting progress and damaging organizational culture in ways that aren’t reflected in metrics and data signals.

it makes pirs weaker because the incidents themselves become harder to understand and analyze – nobody wants the finger pointing at them, so details are hidden, timelines muddled, and cause and effect lost. ultimately, we’re forced to make assumptions and, ultimately, the pir suffers. as mark puts it, “if people feel uncomfortable voicing ideas or concerns, the best ideas might remain hidden, and our best work held back.”

how to cultivate a blameless culture

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i’m coming at this from an atlassian perspective, but i think many of our internal principles and best practices can help a broad range of teams avoid the pitfalls of a blame-centric culture. here are a few ways we do it:

build it into your values

atlassian was built on our core company values, and the application of those values naturally matures alongside company growth. this can be difficult, but we don’t do it because it’s easy – we do it because it’s right.

we strive to live our values and bring our whole, authentic selves to work every day. to err is human, and it’s a natural part of our learning process. i’m proud to be part of a company that sees we are all people, and that bumps in the road are a natural part of our journey to create amazing products and experiences for our customers.

blamelessness as a practice has a place within each of our core values:

• open company, no bullshit: transparency is paramount. we acknowledge both positive and negative aspects in a mindful and caring way, so that we can learn objectively and constructively (more on this below).
• build with heart and balance: when we have thoughtful, long-term, blameless perspective on what success really looks like, we’re more likely to identify threats before they snowball, and we are better placed to more effectively resolve them when they occur, leading to much more resilient products – and people!
• don’t #@!% the customer: preventing issues before they happen is one of the best ways we can serve our customers. blameless culture enables better problem-solving, full stop.
• play, as a team: blamelessness and psychological safety aren’t just good business practices – they strengthen team bonds too.
• be the change you seek: those of us who are in a position to call out blame-oriented processes and practices should feel empowered to do so – let’s all play our part in cultivating a healthy, blame-free culture.

prioritize transparency

transparency is critically important, especially in the world of incident response, but also…everywhere else. the better we understand our failures and how we responded to them, the better we can prepare ourselves and atlassian to fend them off in future, especially as we scale in size and expand our offerings.

to build a foundation for blameless culture, organizations should strive for radical transparency whenever possible. this might look like:

• committing to transparency at all levels, from individual contributors to the c-suite.
• sharing data/reports and personnel decisions (hiring and firing) widely
• putting everything in writing
• embracing (respectful) dissent
• prioritizing transparency even when it’s hard
• putting practices into play that encourage the best ideas to emerge (mark suggests the disruptive brainstorming play from the atlassian playbook)
• reflecting on a regular basis to assess the level of psychological safety on the team (our team health monitor, also from the playbook, is a great tool for this)

…but don’t be a jerk

from the playbook: working agreements

as a team, create guidelines to determine how you will work best together.

run the play

at atlassian, information is open internally by default, and sharing is a first principle. but it’s possible to abuse the value of transparency value by, well, being a jerk in the name of it.

speaking your mind requires equal parts brains (what to say), thoughtfulness (when to say it), and caring (how it’s said). but it’s also important to take into account the norms and dynamics of your individual team. try the working agreements play from the atlassian playbook to reach a consensus on how to work together effectively and respectfully.

prioritize “right” over “right now”

we should regularly ask ourselves: are we navigating the “right” versus the “right now” in terms of preparing ourselves for the future – or are we just slapping on a bandage and hoping for the best? it can be hard to know where to start with these sorts of conversations, but an easy inroad could be holding a premortum. this exercise allows you to explore the future safely and prepare for some of the risks that might pop up.

in atlassian’s engineering org, risks – formal records tracked on an official register of potential issues – empower teams to raise endemic issues that cannot easily be fixed at their level. they’re a mechanism whereby anyone can raise potentially serious underlying problems, and have someone with the appropriate level of authority make a decision on it. think of it as the opposite of sweeping something under the rug.

today’s non-priorities can easily become tomorrow’s emergencies, and it’s critical to surface those tiny “specks” that could snowball into a significant incident. this can feel uncomfortable – again, the easier path is to ignore problems to avoid rocking the boat – but taking this kind of long-term view is always the right choice.

being blameless is hard – but the alternative is worse

building and maintaining a blameless culture is hard, in large part due to human nature. people are naturally inclined to blame others – the phenomenon is known as fundamental attribution error – and it’s crucial to overcome that tendency in the name of blamelessness.

an ardent commitment to values and radical transparency are optimistic goals given the realities of a bunch of humans trying to run a complex business, but even when you inevitably fall short, “a-minus is a long way from b-plus.” put another way, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

mark sums it up nicely: “blameless cultures are built on psychological safety, which is only possible when leaders promote open dialogue, constructive dissent, and modeling vulnerability,” he says. “and whatever you do, never blame the person…the problem is where to focus your attention.”

the post how to cultivate a blameless culture appeared first on work life by atlassian.

it’s easy for icebreaker questions to feel obligatory – an inauthentic exercise everybody feigns interest in before moving on to the meat of the meeting. 

but don’t underestimate the power of the humble icebreaker – it’s been long established that, when you do it right, they actually work. in one 1997 study, researchers asked pairs of participants to share information about themselves. the pairs that did so reported feeling significantly closer than the ones who just engaged in meaningless small talk.

it’s proof that the right questions can foster or strengthen connections, reduce doubt or anxiety, and encourage team members to speak openly. as psychologist anton villado says, “we engage in self-disclosure over some period of time – typically lots of time – and icebreakers are simply meant to hasten that.”

the key is choosing the right (read: non-cringey) questions. from rapid-fire prompts to thought-provoking queries that dig deeper, this big ol’ list of icebreaker questions will help you get the ball rolling. 

quick icebreaker questions

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these fast icebreaker questions can be answered in only a few words (or, in some cases, just one word), making them perfect for meetings or conversations when you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to friendly chatter but still want to establish some rapport and familiarity.

1. what’s a surprising thing on your bucket list?
2. what’s the best thing you’ve crossed off your bucket list?
3. if you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
4. what’s your favorite children’s book?
5. what’s your go-to coffee order?
6. what’s your favorite board game?
7. what’s an underrated kitchen appliance or gadget?
8. what was your first job?
9. what’s your favorite room in your house?
10. what’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on?
11. what’s your least favorite sport?
12. what’s your dream car?
13. what toppings are on your ideal pizza?
14. what song makes you feel the most nostalgic?
15. what’s your go-to karaoke song?
16. what song is most likely to get you on the dance floor?
17. what format was the first album you purchased? (cassette, cd, digital)
18. what smell reminds you most of a specific place or time?
19. do you have a lucky number? what is it, and why?
20. what’s your favorite type of cuisine?
21. what’s your favorite way to eat potatoes?
22. if you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?
23. what’s your signature dance move?
24. what would your personal theme song or walk-on song be?
25. what’s your favorite dad joke?
26. what’s your favorite icebreaker question?

“this or that” icebreaker questions

looking for other quick options? “this or that” questions keep things moving by asking people to choose between only two options. 

27. coffee or tea?
28. early bird or night owl?
29. cats or dogs?
30. salt or pepper?
31. pancakes or waffles?
32. concert or museum?
33. hotel or airbnb?
34. beach or mountains?
35. book or movie?
36. introvert or extrovert?
37. city or country?
38. digital or analog?
39. pen or keyboard?
40. socks or barefoot?
41. sweet or savory?
42. chocolate or vanilla?
43. phone call or text message?
44. adventure or relaxation?
45. comedy or drama?
46. sneakers or sandals?
47. card game or board game?
48. spicy or mild?
49. restaurant or home-cooked meal?
50. ice cream cone or cup?

meatier icebreaker questions

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when so many icebreakers are surface-level and inconsequential, ones that dig deeper can feel a little counterintuitive. but while these may seem like unusual icebreaker questions compared to the cursory ones you’d typically think of, they’re perfect for sparking meaningful discussions, increasing empathy and understanding, and reinforcing team bonds. 

51. what’s your best childhood memory?
52. who would your 12-year-old self say is their biggest hero?
53. what’s an unexpected life lesson you’ve learned?
54. after people and pets, what’s the first thing you’d rescue if (god forbid!) your home was on fire?
55. what’s your proudest accomplishment?
56. what’s your most irrational fear?
57. if you had to live in a different country for a year, which one would you choose?
58. what’s your hottest take or most surprising opinion?
59. would you want to know how much time you have left to live?
60. what’s a surprising “fun fact” about you?
61. if you had to teach a class or give a ted talk, what would it be about?
62. what one day in your life would you most like to relive?
63. what’s a cause or charity that means a lot to you?
64. what’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
65. how would your loved ones describe you in five words?
66. what’s your most treasured possession?
67. when was the last time you felt inspired to create something?
68. what’s one of your nicknames and how did you get it?
69. what’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
70. what character traits do you admire?
71. what trait are you most proud of in yourself?
72. if you could master any skill immediately, what would it be?
73. what would you title your memoir?
74. what’s a habit you’re trying to break or build?
75. would you rather travel to the past or the future?
76. what’s the biggest misconception people have about you?
77. what’s your favorite family tradition?
78. if you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would you choose?
79. what’s one thing you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet?
80. what advice would you give to your younger self?

fun icebreaker questions

from the playbook

if you have five minutes, the icebreaker activities play can help you make personal connections and spark the kind of creative thinking that moves work forward.

run the play

icebreaker questions don’t need to be substantial to be worthwhile. when you need a lighthearted activity for a holiday happy hour, team baby shower, or anything in between, these silly icebreaker questions are just quirky enough to generate plenty of chuckles while still revealing interesting facts about the people you work with. 

81. what animal do you think best represents your personality?
82. who would play you in a movie about your life?
83. if you could invent a holiday, what would you celebrate?
84. if you could have any fictional character as a best friend, who would it be?
85. what’s the most bizarre dream you’ve ever had?
86. what’s your favorite way to waste time?
87. if you could be any age for a week, what age would you be?
88. what’s the weirdest (sfw!) thing you’ve ever googled?
89. what’s your favorite under-the-radar life hack?
90. if you could change your name to anything, what would you choose?
91. what was the last time you laughed really hard?
92. what’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever collected?
93. if you could turn any activity into an olympic sport, what would you win a gold medal in?
94. if you had to participate in an actual olympic sport, which would you choose?
95. what’s the story behind your coolest scar or gnarliest injury?
96. what’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever seen in someone’s home?
97. what’s the worst haircut you’ve ever gotten?
98. what’s your star sign? do you think your sign’s characteristics describe your personality?
99. how do you like to celebrate your birthday?
100. what was your most memorable concert experience?
101. what was your most memorable wildlife experience?
102. what would you want your last meal to be?
103. if you won the lottery but didn’t tell anyone, how would your friends and family know?
104. what’s your favorite made-up game you play with your friends or family?
105. what’s a superstitious belief that you believed as a child (or still believe)?
106. what was the first time (or a memorable time) you were frightened by a weather event or natural disaster?
107. what’s the oldest piece of clothing you own? why do you still wear it/keep it?
108. who in your life (or on your team!) would you trust to take care of you if you were an egg?

“would you rather” icebreaker questions

as a subcategory of silly icebreaker questions, “would you rather” prompts challenge people to consider an off-the-wall scenario and make a choice. you can come up with endless hypothetical scenarios, but here are a few to help get your wheels turning.

109. would you rather have a permanent clown nose or permanent clown shoes?
110. would you rather always have to hop on one foot or always have to walk backward?
111. would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
112. would you rather have the ability to talk to animals or speak every human language fluently?
113. would you rather have to sing everything you say or dance every time you move?
114. would you rather have a personal theme song that plays whenever you enter a room or have a personal mascot that follows you around?
115. would you rather be able to instantly master any skill but have to do it in public or be mediocre at everything but always do it in private?
116. would you rather be eight feet tall or three feet tall?

work-related icebreaker questions

looking for a way to warm people up without taking the focus off of the work you do together? these icebreaker questions for work can help team members learn more about each other’s work-related experiences, preferences, and achievements. 

117. how did you end up in your current job?
118. if you could have another career, what would it be? 
119. if you could switch roles with anyone at your company, who would it be?
120. what’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
121. what’s the most memorable moment in your career so far?
122. what’s your go-to 世界杯欧洲预选赛直播平台 playlist or music?
123. if you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
124. what’s the best work-related book you’ve read?
125. how do you unwind after a busy or stressful day?
126. what’s your favorite way to celebrate a work-related milestone or achievement?
127. what’s your favorite thing about working in your industry?
128. if you could work remotely from anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
129. what’s the biggest misconception about your job?
130. who is your dream career mentor?
131. if you could automate one part of your job, what would it be?
132. what’s the most rewarding part of your job?
133. what is your most productive time of day?
134. if you could design your perfect office, what would it look like?
135. what’s your favorite quote or mantra that motivates you at work?
136. what’s the most fun project you’ve ever worked on?

virtual icebreaker questions

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18 virtual team building activities and games

by sarah goff-dupont in teamwork

nearly all of the above icebreakers can work in a remote setting. but when your team is distributed, you have even more opportunities to learn about people’s habits, routines, and priorities. these team icebreaker questions will help everybody feel more in touch and connected — even if you aren’t colocated. 

137. what’s something the team would know about you if we spent time in person?
138. what’s one thing that’s always on your desk?
139. what’s your favorite way to spend a break during the workday?
140. do you have any pet colleagues?
141. what’s the funniest thing that’s happened during a video call?
142. what’s your favorite way to end or start the workday?
143. what’s something we’d be surprised to find in your office?
144. what’s your go-to lunch or workday snack?
145. what’s your favorite or most-used emoji?
146. where’s the best spot you’ve ever worked remotely?
147. what’s your go-to music or background noise while working?
148. what’s your favorite perk of 2022足球世界杯分组赛程表 ?

what’s your favorite icebreaker question? let us know in the atlassian community – we’ll be adding some of your ideas to this list!

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no two teams are alike and that’s something we proudly celebrate. we partnered with michael bierut’s team at pentagram to help us explore how we might evolve our foundations and key storytelling elements. through several iterations over many months we landed on some new thinking, principles, and execution that we pressure-tested across various atlassian surfaces throughout 2023. and we proudly had our public debut at our team ’24 conference.

our brand refresh is a strategic and craft-led effort to strengthen atlassian’s connection with its customers. our aspiration is to build an enduring emotional connection with our audience through simple but profound consistency.

about the visual language

atlassian believes that when teams come together, they can solve problems big and small. when we thought about a visual refresh, we wanted people to be at the center of it. our goal was to make the brand feel like it had a human touch, despite it being digital. we sought to evoke this feeling so when people experienced the brand, it created a more tangible connection to atlassian.

the visual language employs an approach of typography and use of mixed media to “defamiliarize the ordinary”. this approach presents common things in an unfamiliar way to express communications that present new perspectives. it helps us express complex ideas and narratives in a visually engaging way. all the different elements alone are mostly meaningless but when brought together to express our brand in various communication, create something meaningful expressing our brand platform, impossible alone, possible together.

the interaction of colors when shapes overlap produces exciting, unexpected results which can tell a deeper story around the transformation that takes place when great minds come together.

our humanistic typeface, charlie sans, delivers our message in a clear and friendly way. we also deconstruct it graphically to reveal how the parts come together to create meaning.

photography, gestural scribbles, and spontaneous composition celebrates the beauty and challenge of human collaboration and can represent all aspects of our story—people, products, practices, and the achievements of teams.

the new visual language came to life at our team ’24 conference. on stage, we showcased the work of partners, customers, and developers. we also showed the early phases of elements of the language translating into our products, supporting new features in jira.

while still in its early stages of rollout (pardon our dust), this refresh will be experienced across all customer touch points and will capture and signal the vision we are building toward, embracing the full range of software we build bringing it all together under one company brand.

as we embark on this exciting new chapter, our refreshed visual language is not just a facelift; it’s a vibrant reflection of our commitment to innovation, excellence, and the atlassian values that unite us. every color, every line, every detail is crafted to tell our story—one of passion, progress, and a relentless pursuit of unleashing the potential of every team.

the post a new language for teamwork: our journey to a reimagined visual system appeared first on work life by atlassian.

teams that have fun together work better together.

while most of us know this intuitively, researchers have been interested in learning if “fun” matters especially when studying how teams build relationships, increase employee experience, and retain talent.

time and again, we’ve found that fun does matter. for instance, research shows that teams that make the effort to talk to each other about anything not related to work are more effective and satisfied. it’s almost like humans are wired to connect…

related article

what’s your vibe? one atlassian team’s unique approach to staying connected

by britiana andrade in teamwork

whether you’re driven by the head or the heart, it’s easy to forget how useful blowing off steam with your team is during the day-to-day grind. and while pizza parties and ping pong tables are great, expensive perks and events aren’t in reach for every team. i’m also going to go out on a limb and assume we’re fully ready to leave the forced fun of a team happy hour zoom in 2020.

so how can distributed teams take matters into their own hands?

i lead the team anywhere lab at atlassian, a group of behavioral scientists dedicated to designing and validating the best ways to work for modern teams. we designed an experiment to help teams establish a ritual for fun without needing budget or everyone to sit in the same location.

the chief vibes officer experiment

our team implemented the concept of “chief vibes officer” (or “cvo” for short) to establish a team ritual centered around fun.

the cvo was asked to pick a team vibe for the week by posting a theme or question to their team slack channel to spark non-work related conversation. the cvo was then instructed to start the thread by answering their own question and then asking the team to reply as well.

our fun-loving group of atlassians took to this experiment like fish to water. a few example vibe prompts included:

the cvo ritual sparked joy and facilitated team connection

the experiment was a hit with atlassians. 77 teams signed up, and survey results showed that 97% of participants felt the cvo ritual sparked joy, while 87% said it boosted connection with their teammates. interestingly, 32% felt it was easier to ask for help from their teammates as a result of the ritual, suggesting that it’s easier to collaborate with someone you’ve formed a human connection with.

encouraging everyone to participate makes the cvo ritual even better – when more than 50% of team members participated in the slack thread, the benefits of the ritual were even stronger. for instance, 78% of participants whose teams saw over 50% team participation would recommend the cvo ritual to a newly forming team. similarly, 94% of participants who had over 50% team participation reported learning something new about their teammates.

when asked what they enjoyed most about having a chief vibes officer for the week, participant blair johnson, a senior support engineer, said, “this kind type of togetherness breaks down barriers that we don’t always realize are present.”

can you vibe?

kick this ritual off with your team by stepping up as the first-ever chief vibes officer! send a message to your team to explain the ritual and keep the magic going (you can use the example below – feel free to make it your own!). you can also opt to weave the vibe theme or question into an icebreaker at the start of your weekly team meeting.

check out the atlassian team playbook for more practices to boost team connection and culture.

the post new research: try this ritual to spark joy at work appeared first on work life by atlassian.