Five introverts walk into a zoom…
How working as a group of introverts has forced us to learn more about each other, re-structure our schedule, invent new team roles, and play games during work.
My journey at the Digital Society School started about four weeks ago. The first week was filled with introductory workshops and networking events that gave us a chance to get to know the other trainees. While it was a lot of fun, most of us were nervously waiting for the coaches to finally announce with whom we were going to work with for the upcoming 20 weeks. So, on Monday morning of the second week we were all sitting in front of our screens waiting to get assigned to our teams and I remember feeling incredibly relieved when I saw the four friendly faces of my new team members smiling back at me.
We spent our first weeks as a team learning about the project and getting to know each other. The project is part of the EdTech for Social Change track at the DSS. Our aim is to contribute to the improvement of Primary and Secondary School pupils’ academic outcomes and reduce the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils through the promotion of Evidence Informed Practice for School Inclusion approach (EIPSI) within the EU. The focus lies on two of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, namely:
- Goal 4: Quality education
- Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
After a short introduction to the project, we took some time to get to know each other.
At first it seemed like our group could not be more different: We are all from different countries, we all have very different skill sets and while some of us are the embodiment of an early bird others like to start their day when the sun is setting behind the narrow Dutch houses.
However, after only a few hours we realised that we have one very defining characteristic in common: We are all introverts!
Throughout the next days we realised what that means for us as a team. While our meetings are very inspiring, problem-oriented, and fun they are also often quiet. After a full day of back-to-back team meetings, we leave work with an empty cup — struggling to manage all this team time.
We quickly realised that working online adds an additional challenge. In a group where everyone feels more comfortable observing than sharing, the silence of five muted microphones can be all encompassing. However, we would not be working in the field of creative innovation if we could not figure out how to solve this challenge.
One aspect that drastically changed our way of working was simply getting to know each other and identifying everyone’s needs. We used a lot of retrospective tools and techniques to help us reflect on our progress and make sure everyone feels heard. One example is the Anchor and Engine exercise whereby you have a picture of a boat and place a post-it on the anchor to identify things that hold you back and place a post- it on the engine to indicate things that motivate you. A great website that offers a lot of exercises like this is FunRetrospectives.
The more comfortable we felt, the easier it was to share our ideas, opinions, and sometimes even express criticism. We also brainstormed different rituals that would help us connect during times of remote working. These rituals include:
- cooking together and sharing our favourite recipes,
- coffee dates,
- organising game nights,
- doing something special after each sprint,
- and organising a picnic once the weather and COVID restriction allow it.
Additionally, we learned to allow ourselves more alone time during which everyone gets to focus on their own tasks. This gives everyone a chance to recharge their batteries and work at their own pace — which sometimes also means stepping away from the screen.
Another adaptation was the creation of a new role within our team. The way that teams at the DSS work is that everyone has a specific role: There is a tracker, who documents everything; team members, who actively participate and work alongside each other, and a SCREAM master* — the role that I was assigned during the first sprint. As a SCREAM master, I am responsible for our team planning and organisation as well as the facilitation of meetings. This can be a tricky task in a quieter group. This is when our coach came up with the idea to create a new role for our team members. Enter the Energizer. The Energizer’s role is to be aware of the energy level in the group and make sure they are as active and outspoken as possible.
This is not to say that we completely need to change who we are but sometimes push ourselves and others out of our comfort zone.
This also gave birth to another fun idea. To build each other up and create moments of interruption we play a quick round of Skribbl.io or any other (online) game. These small interventions reset our energy levels and help us get excited for the next meeting.
Great resources for such fun breaks are:
- Skribbl.io
- Board Game Arena
- FunRetrospective also offers great ‘energizer’
Now, four weeks in I am incredibly grateful for my team and what we have accomplished so far. Being introverts was never a disadvantage but rather a challenge for us to find the right way to work together. We might work a little differently than other teams but we have also managed to create a work environment that is full of respect, appreciation, and fun. I am excited for the challenges that lie ahead of us and look forward to getting a rematch for my last lost round of Skribbl.
*SCREAM Master is the DSS adapted version of a SCRUM master. It combines the SCRUM methodology with creative (design thinking) processes. If you are curious to see how it works, visit the DSS website here.
Want to know more about our project and our work at the DSS? Check out our project here or follow the journey on Medium here.
