Staff
Products are built by people, working together. Therefore a major part of the role of an Ecosystem Team is ensuring that the right people are brought into the team and that they are set up for success.
The activities are the same as described in the Product Team section, but the scope is wider, encompassing the entire ecosystem.
What's different at ecosystem scope
The Ecosystem Team's staff role is not a copy of the Product Team's role done bigger. Three differences matter:
- Executive and leadership recruitment. The Ecosystem Team is responsible for finding and developing the people who run the Product Teams, Internal Product Teams, and Enabling Teams. Hiring at this level uses different signals (track record, judgment under uncertainty, proven leadership at the relevant scale) and different sourcing channels (executive search, board networks, long-term relationship cultivation).
- Succession planning across the leadership tier. Product Teams plan their own workforce; the Ecosystem Team plans for the leadership of those teams. Who replaces a Product Manager who leaves? Who is being developed to step up to a Group PM role? The Ecosystem Team owns these answers in a way no individual Product Team can.
- Cross-product mobility. Stream Teams own their own staffing; the Ecosystem Team makes sure people can move between Product Teams when their careers warrant it. Without an ecosystem-level view, talented people get stuck in one product because the moving costs feel high.
- Planning the Workforce: Identifying the skills and roles needed to support the ecosystem's goals and objectives.
- Defining the Compensation Structures: Establishing a fair and competitive compensation structure to attract and retain top talent.
- Sourcing Candidates: Identifying and attracting qualified candidates to fill open positions within the ecosystem.
- Evaluating Candidates: Assessing the skills, experience, and fit of candidates to determine their suitability for the role.
- Onboarding: Introducing new team members to the ecosystem, its culture, and its ways of working.
- Offboarding: Transitioning team members out of the ecosystem in a respectful and professional manner.
Anti-Patterns
- Failing to Plan Ahead: Not identifying the skills and roles needed to support the ecosystem's goals and objectives, leading to gaps in the workforce.
- Uncompetitive Compensation: Offering below-market compensation, making it difficult to attract and retain top talent.
- Bad Fit: Hiring candidates who do not have the skills, experience, or cultural fit needed to succeed in the role.