The Effect on Squads

We’ve seen fewer personality clashes and petty disagreements in our squads. In fact, many have become so tightly knit that they have become known as “work families” with bonds extending well beyond their agile meetings and daily collaboration.

Squads at Trade Me have also become far more stable.

Before our first self-selection, one of the most common concerns was that participants would be “signing away their lives,” having to work on a squad for as long as they were with the company. Not only did this concern turn out to be unfounded, but people seem to be going to great lengths to remain with their current squads.

When we were faced with this concern in the very beginning, we promised the option to have re-squadifications every six months. In reality, though, the only time people have taken us up on that offer has been when the company’s growth was so significant that it drove new choices, rather than team members reconsidering whether their initial self-selection choice was the right one.

If your company grows by more than 25%, it will most likely be a good idea to ask people to re-squadify. After all, it might not make sense to have a bunch of newbies form an all-new squad, and it would be unfair to those who joined the company because of the prospect of self-selection.