Timo has been working on a new online marketing strategy for weeks. He keeps having doubts: “Have I really thought of everything? Are the personas clearly defined? Does the content plan really speak to the right target audience?”
One day, Timo’s boss suggests that he should no longer work alone. In an era where online marketing possibilities expand almost daily, the task simply seems too complex. So, Timo is paired with a colleague from customer management. As a customer manager, she is always in direct contact with clients. She immediately has suggestions to make the personas more realistic. Together, they look at the KPIs and discuss ideas for better content and its distribution. Finally, they develop a strategy that completely convinces both the bosses and the team.
We used to call it partner work.
What the story of Timo and Mona describes is an important but often ignored agile practice: Pairing. Like most agile practices, pairing originates from software development—more specifically, “pair programming” is one of the 12 principles of Extreme Programming (XP). In school, you probably referred to it as “partner work.”
The concept is simple: in pairing, two people work together on the same task, such as a software problem on one computer. This promotes better communication, clearer problem definition, and a better understanding of a potential solution. The person controlling the mouse and keyboard is called the “Driver.” The other person, who sits next to the driver and ensures the solution is implemented effectively and efficiently, is called the “Navigator.” The partners switch roles regularly and frequently.
Paying two people to do one job?
Imagine an organization where all colleagues work in pairs. Programmers work with other programmers, and marketing managers work with other marketing managers. They sit together and work through every task as a team. For many managers, this sets off alarm bells. They see waste and inefficiency and fear a massive surge in costs.
What is the counter-argument? First of all, as is so often the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Classical management theories focus on using employees as resources to perform tasks repeatedly and efficiently. In many areas of work, this logic is still relevant. However, it does not fit well into the dawning age of knowledge work. While repetitive jobs are increasingly being replaced by machines, complexity is rising for the remaining and new activities.
In pairing, everyone is constantly learning, especially when learning partners change regularly. They learn from each other’s strengths, experiences, and even weaknesses. When someone has an idea, they must explain it to their partner, think out loud, articulate the vision, and answer questions. Continuous learning thus becomes an elementary part of the work process.
Benefits of Pairing
- Greater knowledge sharing among members
- Better product quality
- Effective communication
- Higher team spirit
- Reduced dependency on specific individuals
- More effective onboarding of new team members
- No separate reviews required
Great prospects: More joy at work
As learning organizations, companies become more resilient and future-proof. Instead of specialized knowledge remaining isolated, pairing allows colleagues to experience more community and personal growth.
At a glance
- Pairing is a central practice of agile working where teamwork takes precedence.
- The Hare and the Hedgehog principle: In pairing, time losses are deliberately accepted during the development of a (sub-)product.
- Benefits include: high quality, effective communication, higher team spirit, reduced dependency on specific individuals, more effective onboarding of new team members, greater knowledge sharing among members, and the elimination of corrections and rework.
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