The Problems with Pacesetters on Agile Teams (Part 2)

  Agile   Communications Management   Talent Management  

Pacesetting is a behavioral style based on the premise that someone’s way of doing things is best--and they step in to take over and personally do the work whenever things appear awry. While the intentions may be noble (as in getting the project done), it’s a form of ego or a lack of trust that can recklessly destroy team motivation and collaboration.

When a pacesetter is a member of the team, he or she is often looked at as an informal leader--a view that’s reinforced by management, who often times gives the individual (and not the team) accolades for heroic efforts: “Great job! Thanks for the extra effort! Couldn’t have done it without you!” After a flurry of production problems, the true effects of the final rush become apparent: high staff turnover and moral at an all-time low. The hero stays on, waiting for the chance to prove themself once more as the lynchpin of the department. Numerous studies point to a negative correlation between this type of behavior and whole team effectiveness [1, 2].

In Part 1 of this series, we explained what a pacesetter is and why that style is a problem--particularly on an agile software development team. In this conclusion, we explain some of the most common ways that a manager or coach can turn a pacesetter into a catalyst for team effectiveness and away from being an individual hyper-…

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