Since the dawn of Humanity tribes used the contemporary concept of “branding”. The tribe had its own dress-code, totems, songs, dances, icons and signs. Branding allowed them to claim their territory and enjoy a secure sense of belonging. It led to stronger tribal bonding that increased their chance of survival in the wild.
Nothing much changed in modern corporates. Same concept. The modern businesses use branding to secure their competitive position.
But why stop there?
Agile teams around the globe perhaps instinctively employ similar tools in order to strengthen member bonding and team presence. The coffee meeting surely is a tribal meeting, so as having a geeky team name and logo.
One aspect of team branding however may not be so obvious and that is its effect on Engagement. I strongly feel the security provided by tribal bonding has a big effect on Engagement.
Letting the team continuously maintain and strengthen their branding can be a smart win for the organisation. Let them have a newsletter, let them have a billboard, let them have t-shirts with team logos, let them organise meet-ups, hackathons and watch how heavily they will be engaged.
