Collaborative Culture in Agile Teams
Collaborative culture is a term that is often used in business studies, specifically in conjunction with work atmosphere and employer-management.
For Agile teams collaborative culture is a culture, a mindset or acceptable set of standards, within an organization or group where collaboration, or working together, is the norm.
One example of collaborative culture in Agile is when the team works together on a common goal, with each member doing his or her own part, to create a single product, collectively.
Here are some of the main characteristics of a collaborative culture in Agile teams:
- Team members work together effectively and are guided by a common purpose.
- All members of the team (developers, Product Owners, ScrumMasters, testers, etc…) share a common vision of what the end product should be, and they work together toward it.
- Team members agree on goals that lead them toward this vision. There is no higher authority dictating the goals, so the team must work openly and honestly with each other to come to agreeable decisions.
- Agile team members learn to respect each other ideas, value their differences of opinion, and try to remain open to each other’s ideas.
- When there is disagreement within the group, people listen to each other and try to work through the problem so that they can all move forward toward their goal.
- Each team member strives to be as useful as possible, so each person looks for ways to improve themselves—through advice from more experienced Agile developers or research on better methods.
- Team members understand that each person is unique, with their own set of ideas, beliefs, strengths and weakness. They see these differences as beneficial to the team as a whole. Though each person may bring something different to the table, all are valued as important to the team.
Collaborative culture is quickly becoming the norm throughout many organizations, and for good reason. However, organizations must be careful to focus more on their investment in their most vital asset—their people—and focus less on some state of the art system that is meant to improve collaboration. A culture where teamwork is emphasized, team members are supported and properly trained, and a commitment to success is encouraged, is the only culture where collaborative efforts, and therefore, Agile development, can thrive.
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