RDEL #35: Which team formation is best for corporate hackathons?
What are the differences between forming flash teams vs. using a pre-existing team in a corporate hackathon?
Welcome back to Research-Driven Engineering Leadership. Each week, we pose an interesting topic in engineering leadership, and apply the latest research in the field to drive to an answer.
A somewhat common practice in engineering orgs is to implement a hackathon. Spanning anywhere from a day to an entire week, the goal is for teams to work together to build an MVP. Some companies ask pre-existing teams to work together, while others use the opportunity to bring together engineers from different teams. This week we ask, which team formation is best for hackathons?
The context
Hackathons in tech companies today serve as intensive events where employees form teams to collaborate on software projects over a short period of time. The goal of a hackathon to foster innovation, encourage creative problem-solving, and explore new technologies or ideas beyond the scope of daily work. They also offer a platform for skill development, networking, and team building among employees.
Hackathons can lead to the development of new products, features, or improvements to existing services. They also create an environment that encourages creativity, risk-taking, and learning, allowing employees to experiment with new ideas without the fear of failure.
The research
Researchers studied the processes and outcomes of hackathons using a multiple case study of five teams that participated in a large scale corporate hackathon (Microsoft OneWeek Hackathon). Two of the teams were were pre-existing, while three of the teams were newly formed “flash teams”. They followed these teams before, during, and up to four months after they completed the hackathon to answer questions about team processes, project sustainability, and perceived individual impacts.
Researchers found that:
Pre-existing teams applied their regular work processes to the hackathon, and focused on innovations within the boundary of their regular work. In contract, flash teams adopted unique role-based coordination strategies, and focused on innovations that were less related to their regular work.
Pre-existing teams benefitted mainly from demonstrating skills and creating value within their current roles, while flash teams enjoyed broader benefits, including skill development and networking.
Using existing skills rather than focusing on acquiring new ones increased the sustainability of projects post-hackathon.
The application
As the research shows, different styles of teams can have varied outcomes. Pre-existing teams can usually coordinate more easily since they adopt processes from their day-to-day team, but are also more likely to focus on innovations that apply to their work. In contrast, flash teams are more likely to have broader innovations and take away additional benefits from a hackathon, such as networking and skill development. However, their projects are less likely to sustain after a hackathon.
Use a pre-existing team when it is more important to:
Demonstrate existing skills
Build a project that sustains after the hackathon
Use a flash team when it is more important to:
Increase networking opportunities within the technology org
Introduce and grow new skills
In both cases, keep the team size smaller to reduce overall process overhead. And most importantly, build something interesting!
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Wishing you all a happy research Monday,
Lizzie
From the Quotient team