It's not an agile story
Having worked with multiple Agile teams, I realize that most problems the teams have to deal with are often related to issues that are beyond the scope of any Agile framework. These issues are often related to people and the surrounding eco-system. The success of any Agile implementation is largely dependent on this H(uman)-factor which is intrinsic to any team/organization. This H-factor has always been a pandora's box, that we would like to avoid owing to the amount of complexity and the uncertainty involved. Here is my humble effort to try and identify few common traits that I have observed with people across Agile teams and organizations. The idea here is not to stereotype people, but to present an approach/strategy to accommodate different kinds of people in an Agile eco-system. In this talk, I would like to present 5 characters in a fictional story and the various strategies I have adopted to coach them. After all one size doesn't fit all!
It's not an agile story
- 1. Its not an Agile Story
- 2. Apollo-Dionysus Dilemma Ying - Yang Order-Chaos Black - Red Sun - Moon Day - Night
- 3. The items on the Right Vs The items on the Left! Individuals and interactions over processes and tools ! Working software over comprehensive documentation ! Customer collaboration over contract negotiation ! Responding to change over following a plan
- 5. Agile is Dead Balance - Slayer of this nemesis
- 6. Although we have not embraced this balance successfully yet, we as an Agile community acknowledge the need for one. Thats progress! With that HOPE I begin
- 8. HER All representations in this presentation are mostly alluded to one gender to emphasise on the qualities related to feelings which is conventionally referred as feminine. However I as an individual do not subscribe to that norm entirely! ! ! All the paintings in this presentation are done by Shilo Shiv Suleman one of the fiercest artist I have ever known.
- 9. DISCLAIMER ! The idea of the presentation is not to let people judge, but use this as a means to better understand the self via the surrounding ! I could be totally WRONG with my current understanding of certain behaviours and I will leave that decision to the participants discretion
- 10. Human fallacy is acknowledged but not dealt with in many organisations. We barely even scratch the surface! ! (possible) reasons, No Tangible immediate results ! Fear of confrontation ! Way too complex ! Social Conditioning ! Individual Process
- 11. An humble attempt to DEMYSTIFY this complex web of behaviour through fictional characters based on OK-OK corral (Based on Transactional Analysis)
- 12. Distressed Damsel I am Not Ok - You are Ok Perennial Cynic I am Not Ok - You are Not Ok Pragmatic Adult I am Ok - You are Ok Insolent Genius I am Ok - You are Not Ok
- 13. Insolent Genius I am Ok - You are Not Ok ! OverConfident Know-It All Do not listen Dominant STRATEGIES Build Trust/Mutual Respect Be Assertive Help them see Value in their peers TOOLS 2 Chair Technique Professional /Psychological Contracts 1-0-1s and Interventions Sandwich Strokes Trust Exercise Ego Gram Theme - Get-Rid-Of Payoff- Furious, Burned up
- 14. Distressed Damsel I am Not Ok - You are Ok ! Submissive Subservient Silent Not-Confident STRATEGIES Give positive strokes Be supportive Be compassionate yet be strong Give responsibility and allow mistakes TOOLS 2 Chair Technique Professional /Psychological Contracts 1-0-1s and Interventions Positive Strokes Ego Gram Theme - Get-Away-From Payoff- Embarrassed
- 15. Perennial Cynic I am Not Ok - You are Not Ok ! Cynical Regressive Passive Aggressive Futile STRATEGIES Be logical Solution Focused Talk about options Help them pick an available option TOOLS 2 Chair Technique Admin/ Professional /Psychological Contracts Value Vs Practice Mapping exercise Ego Gram Theme - Go-Nowhere-With Payoff - Humiliated
- 16. Pragmatic Adult I am Ok - You are Ok ! Positive Open to ideas Assertive Forward looking Solution Oriented Non-Judgemental Active Listener Acts on here and now Healthy Space to be in! Theme - Get-On-With Payoff- Joyful, Jubilant
- 17. Every Individual exhibit traits of all these characters. However there is one dominant element ! ALL CHARACTERS ARE REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN BALANCE However Pragmatic Adult is the desired life position
- 19. Path to Self-Realisation TOOLS Journal Supervision All the other tools mentioned earlier
- 20. BE fearless Embrace the feminine with a tad bit of logic. You will Go places!