Teamwork that will make a2i

who we are meant to be

Anir Chowdhury

The changing context around us

Power Shifts in the WorldVertical Horizontal

Power Shifts in the WorldOrganization/Individual Community

Power Shifts in the WorldExclusive Inclusive

Power Shifts in the WorldOffice Home

Power Shifts in the WorldHard Soft

100,000 Years from Today ...

-Nickolay Lamm, Artist and Researcher

a2i’s innovative response

• Birth and death registration

• Examination results• Government forms

download

• Job information

• Visa application and tracking

• Digital photography

• Computer training

Mobile banking Life insurance English training

centres Payments for

government services

Tax collection Remittance

4.5 mil users/monthUSD 600K/month

Start with rural, expand to urban

2 100 4,900

Information and Service Centre –UISC & TISC

e-Service Centre in Field Admin

• Certified copy of land records delivery increased by 40%

• Time for citizens reduced from several weeks to 2-5 days

• Decision making time reduced by 80-90%

Reduce citizens’ time, cost and hassle

1 64 16,000

Government Portals – One of the Largest in the World

64 24,000

Teachers Online Creating and Sharing Multimedia Content

22 15,000 350,000

e-Gov Focal Points Innovation Teams

• Capacity development

• Innovation Forum

• Innovation Fund

• Innovation Award56 450 5,000

The Earth

Mantle

Crust

Outer core

Inner core

The Team

Our Team (a2i)

Extended Team

My Team

Me

Us

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Difference between Working Group and Team

Working Group Team

Strong, clearly focused leader Shared leadership

Individual accountability Individual and mutual accountability

Individual delivery Collective delivery

Discusses, decides and delegates

Discusses, decides and EVERY team member does real work together

Runs efficient meetings Encourages open-ended discussions and active problem-solving meetings

Limitations of Human Brain

Most people can remember 4 things

7 is usually the cut off

202-656-a2i0

0191-132-0311

I Like This Definition of Team

A small number of people

with complementary skills (functional, problem solving, decision making,

interpersonal)

who are committed to a common purpose,

set of performance goals

and approach

for which they hold themselves

mutually accountable

Important Team Traits for a2i

Trust

Commitment to a shared purpose

Mutual accountability

Out-of-the-box thinking

Problem solving

Finishing

Trust

• “First seek to understand,then to be understood”

• “Trust is knowing that when a team member pushes you, they're doing it because they care about the team.”

• Diversity– Strength– Weakness

Commitment to a Shared PurposeThink big. Start small. Grow fast.

• Commitment is NOT consensus

• Why does a2i exist?• What happens if a2i

doesn’t exist?• No compromise towards

the purpose• But compromise and find

opportunities for the pathway

• Commitment to each other

Mutual Accountability

• Fear of conflict

• Ego

• You scratch my back, I scratch yours

• Key Performance Indicators

• Tracking progress –Smartsheets

Out-of-the-box Thinking

• Cliche• What box? Whose box?• Cannot think outside the box without

knowing the box well• Finding work-arounds• Risk

– E3 : Education-Environment-Employment

– Risk space– Don’t make the same mistake twice!– Don’t make the mistake your colleague

made!

Collaborative Thinking vs. Groupthink

• Ask why

• Appreciative inquiry

• Six thinking hats

• Withhold judgment

• Same time, same space– Endless white boards

• Different time, same space– Blog

Problem Solving

• Whose problems?

• How do we solve them?

• Live in the field. Observe keenly. Reflect.

• Ask why

• Co-creation

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” -Henry Ford

“That’s not my problem!”

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Finishing• Prioritization – Think with the end in mind

– What am I trying to accomplish in the end?

– What will happen if I complete it?

– What will NOT happen if I do NOT complete it?

• Visualizing process map

– Whom do I depend on?

– Who depends on me?

• Re-prioritization

– Flexibitliy, humility and good judgment

80-20 Rule

Remember 4 Things ...• "The man who gets the most satisfactory results is not always the

man with the most brilliant single mind, but rather the man who can best coordinate the brains and talents of his associates.” – W. Alton Jones

• “Don’t compromise on the team’s shared purpose, but may have to compromise on the path, recognizing right opportunities on the way.” – a2i

• “Mutual accountability is the willingness of team members to remind one another when they are not living up to the performance standards of the team.” – Patrick Lencioni

• “Fail often to succeed sooner.” – Ideo

Use this runway. You may not get this opportunity outside of a2i. Better, you may create this opportunity outside of a2i.

Remember Us As ‘One Team’

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