Leading a large, distributed team can be a daunting task. When I managed a UX Research team spread across Sweden and Norway, I faced the challenge of fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among remote team members. To address this, we introduced a sparring system, inspired by the boxing practice of mutual improvement. This approach proved to be a powerful tool for strengthening our team and enhancing our research practice.
What is Sparring?
Sparring is a collaborative practice where two individuals work together to improve each other’s skills. In the context of research, it involves sharing challenges, seeking feedback, and learning from one another. By engaging in regular sparring sessions, team members can gain new perspectives, develop critical thinking skills, and build stronger relationships.
How Does It Work in Practice?
To implement a successful sparring system, we followed these steps:
- Pairing Up: We paired team members based on their interests and expertise, encouraging diverse pairings to foster cross-functional learning. Researchers would receive a new sparring partner each month.
- Regular Sessions: Partners met weekly for 30-60 minutes to discuss their current challenges, share insights, and provide constructive feedback.
- Guiding Principles: We established a set of guiding principles to ensure a safe and supportive environment:
- Openness and Honesty: Encourage honest and open communication.
- Mutual Respect: Treat each other with respect and empathy.
- Confidentiality: Keep discussions confidential within the pair (unless you give each other explicit permission to share).
This is the template that my team members used. They would fill it in and share it with each other before their sparring session.
What are the benefits of sparring?
Magic things happen when people come together. This magic is amplified when they discuss their challenges and actively listen to each other with the intention to help. Especially in a team that is diverse they will learn a lot from each other. Over time we saw the following long-term benefits emerge:
- Team members got to know each other better, understand their strengths and how they can help each other develop new skills.
- Alternative partnerships for problem-solving emerged, based on the diverse expertise in the team.
- The team became stronger and more resilient
For me as a manager this proved to be gold. I was no longer the primary go-to person for problem solving. Team members actively seeked each other’s help when possible. This meant no one freaked out when I went on holidays, was out sick or less available for a while. I was no longer a bottleneck that at times held them back, but a facilitator of new knowledge sharing.
Tips for Managers
There are a few key elements that will help you turn this into a success:
- Encourage Participation: Make sparring a regular part of the team’s routine and encourage everyone to participate.
- Rotate Partners: Periodically rotate partners to expose team members to different perspectives and skills.
- Provide Support: Offer guidance and support to ensure that sparring sessions are productive and enjoyable.
- Celebrate Successes: Recognize and celebrate the positive outcomes of sparring by asking every pair to share an insight from their sparring sessions at a team meeting. This is a way to share their appreciation for each other publicly as well as sharing knowledge with the team.
By incorporating sparring into your team’s practices, you can unlock the full potential of your researchers and create a more innovative and effective research team.
Time to get started!
By incorporating sparring into your team’s practices, you can unlock the full potential of your researchers and create a more innovative and effective research team. If this is something you are keen to experience you should give it a go. Please do let me know how it works out for your team!
Are you a research leader and want to practice sparring with your peers? I regularly host sparring sessions in the Grow & Connect community. Find out more and join a sparring session some time.
Want to read more?
Sparring can also be a group based activity, in a way similar to design critiques. I think this style requires that team members now and trust each other well (so probably next stage after this?). Two examples from Atlassian describing this here:
https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/sparring
https://medium.com/designing-atlassian/the-art-of-sparring-ce4f379f156c
And this article is great if you want to know more about why its good for you (your brain) to discuss problems https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/smarter-living/talking-out-problems.html
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