What's Holding You Back?

Robbie Mac Iver

What Is Holding You Back?

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write,

but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. -- Alvin Toffler

The Mac Iver Group, LLC © 2005-2016 2

A Little History15th Anniversary of the Agile Manifesto


An Ongoing Evolution

Aug 1970

Managing the

Development of Large

Scale Software Systems –

Winston Royce

Jan 1986

Oct 1995

Scrum Sutherland

& Schwaber

Oct 1999

May 2003

Jan 1992

Mar 2007

Dec 2008

Apr 2010

Mar 1988

Jan 2000

Dec 2013

Feb 2001

Manifesto for Agile Software

Development


It’s a Journey of Continuous Learning

Evolution of Beliefs, Concepts & Practices Leading practitioners of the day Seeking ways to improve delivery to

employers or clients

Evolving How We Think About Work

to Enhance the Business


Impediments to ChangeChange – As Easy as Riding a Bike


Overcoming Mental Models

As Easy as Riding a Bike?

http://www.robbiemaciver.com/library/other-voices/74-the-backwards-brain-bicycle-smarter-every-day-133.html

Click image to play the video




Is Deeply IngrainedFollows Stages of Personal

Development We become more “hard-

wired”Must Choose to Use New

Habits Old habits never go away Fallback when stressed

What We Do & How We Do It


Why Is That Important?

Agile Adoptions:Are More About Changing

Mindset & Behavior than Process or Method

Are Forming New Behaviors and Consciously Choosing To Use Them

Take Consistent, Persistent Focus

Agility



How We Spend Our Time

Organizational Capacity

Be A Good

Corporate Citizen

Manage the

Whirlwind

Advance Strategic Initiatives

Where is Time to

Improve?


We Have to SEIZE IT!

No One Gives Us Time to Be Strategic

Time spent on the strategic reduces time wasted on the

tactical. – Pragmatic Marketing rule #3


Agile Adoption Needs a Champion

Needs to Be Someone’s JobDetermine Organization

GoalsHow and When They Will be

MetMaintain the FocusGive Time & Permission to

Improve

Agility



Form An Improvement Team Cross-Functional Cross the Breadth

& Depth of Hierarchy

Improvement Owner

Improvement Team

Improvement Backlog

Continuous Improveme

ntFacilitator

Images from


13

What’s Holding You Back?

What You Can Do:Understand that Change Requires Rethinking

Your Mental ModelsUnderstand Improvement Goals Driving

ChangeClaim Time to Learn & ImproveMaintain Focus Through the Tough TimesVolunteer for an Improvement Team

The Mac Iver Group, LLC © 2005-2016

Improvement is Not Free



Impediments to Agile AdoptionThe Organizational Silo Game – See The Whole System


The Game


Local Optimization

An non-systemic action taken to address a specific symptom without regard

to its impact on the whole system

They tend not to solve problems as much as shift them around or

create new problems for someone else


What Are the Components in the

System?

Is Filling the Glass a System?


Linear Thinking

Faucet Position

Current Water Level

25The Mac Iver Group, LLC © 2005-2016

System Influences

Water FlowPerceived Gap

Faucet Position

Desired Water Level

Current Water LevelSource: The Fifth Discipline – Peter

Senge

27The Mac Iver Group, LLC © 2005-2016

System Influences

Water FlowPerceived Gap

Faucet Position

Desired Water Level

Current Water LevelSource: The Fifth Discipline – Peter

Senge


Systems Thinking

An approach to analysis that focuses on the way

that a system's constituent parts

interrelate and interact over time

http://robbiemaciver.com/library/other-voices/77-navigating-webs-of-interdependence-with-peter-senge.html


Recognizing Webs of Interdependence

Understanding How Problems Really Occur Complexity of interactions

Deep Commitment to Learning My mental model is part of the problem

Building Collective Intelligence Bringing together a diversity of

perspectives

Collective Intelligence





Are Any of These Statements Wrong?


Start With DialogSuspend Mental ModelsGather Other PerspectivesLearn to Think & Learn

Together

How Can We Discover the Elephant?


Product Development System

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams



Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

Oper

atio

ns

Sale

s

Finan

ceCo

mpl

ianc

e

Deve

lopm

ent

QA/Te

st

Anal

ysis

Arch

itect

ure

Inte

grat

ion Supp

ort

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

Proj

ect



Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

Oper

atio

ns

Sale

s

Finan

ceCo

mpl

ianc

e

Deve

lopm

ent

QA/Te

st

Anal

ysis

Arch

itect

ure

Inte

grat

ion Supp

ort

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

How Many

Different

Perspectives

Are There?


Agility is An Organizational Change

To Be Effective We Must See the Whole

System to Understand How Best to Change It


Same Problem’s ReoccurToday’s Problems Are

Yesterday’s SolutionsYou Are At the Center of

the SystemYour Solutions Always Add

ControlYour Solutions Don’t Effect

Anyone Else

Signs of NOT Seeing the Whole System

37


What You Can Do:Recognize That You Are Part of a SystemAccept Your Mental Model as Just One

Perspective Reach out to learn from others

Look for Both Cause and Effect Take Small Steps

Experiment and validate


See the Whole System


Impediments to Agile Adoption“Where’s the Beef?” - Focus on Creating Value


How to Change the System?

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams



Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

TeamsSelecte

d Team(s)

• Projects Almost Always Successful

• Good Experience/ Learning for All Involved

• Agile is “Good”

• Rest of Organization Maintains Status Quo

• Learning Does Not Permeate

• Focus Becomes Process, Practices, Metrics

• Agile is “???”



Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

TeamsSelecte

d Project(

s)

• Better Chance for Success

• Better Work Products

• Good Experience/ Learning for All Involved

• Agile is “Good”

• Rest of Organization Maintains Status Quo

• Learning Does Not Permeate

• Focus Becomes Process, Practices, Metrics

• Agile is “???”


Local Optimizations

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

TeamsSelecte

d Project(

s)

Selected

Team(s)

• Address Learning Only in Specific Contexts

• Focus Only on Parts of the Organization

• Propagation Constrained By Remainder of the Organization


Focus on Creating a New Mental Model

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

TeamsSelecte

d Project(

s)

Selected

Team(s)


Drive Change With A Central Focus

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

Our primary goal in

product development is

to make good economic

choices

– Don Reinertsen

Principles of Product

Development Flow (2009)


Drive Change With A Central Focus

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams


But It’s More Than Making Money

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

Make Money Now!


What’s Really Important?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fhDViwYIJs






Purpose Drives Value

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams


Purpose Drives Value

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

The purpose of

business is

maximizing profit

for the

shareholder

– Milton Friedman

1970

On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world. Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy… Jack Welch 2009

A firm that isn’t delighting its clients and turning them into active promoters … is unlikely to endureStephen Denning Radical Management 2010

Profit is like oxygen.

You need it to survive,

but if you think that

oxygen is the purpose

of your life then you’re

missing something

– Peter Drucker 1959


One View of Purpose

Do we get paid a sustainable value for what we do in the eyes of our owners/sponsors

Are we great at what we do in the eyes of our customers?

Does what we do make the world a better place in the eyes of our grandchildren?

Do our employees love what we do and the way we do it

Source: John Blakey, Management Consultant and Author


Align Change to Purpose

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

52


What You Can Do:Align with PurposeForce Clear Priorities

Ask!Change with the Whole In Mind

Small Incremental Changes Guided by feedback


Focus on Value Creation


Impediments to Agile AdoptionLive Long and Prosper – Respect Teams


Structure Creates Knowledge Silos

Delivery

Business Needs

Leadership

Technical/ Delivery

Teams

Oper

atio

ns

Sale

s

Finan

ceCo

mpl

ianc

e

Deve

lopm

ent

QA/Te

st

Anal

ysis

Arch

itect

ure

Inte

grat

ion Supp

ort

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

Proj

ect

Proj

ect


Product Development Knowledge Silos

BenefitsGrowing competenciesSetting standardsPerformance management

DrawbacksEncourages handoffsCan create “us” vs.

“them”Drives focus to detail

tasks

Busin

ess A

naly

sts

Deve

lope

rs

QA/Te

ster

s

Supp

ort

Vertical Alignment


Create Horizontal TeamsBu

sines

s Ana

lyst

s

Deve

lope

rs

QA/Te

ster

s

Supp

ort

Vertical Alignment

That’s Not New With Agile,

Project Teams Have Always Been Formed

This WaySo What is

Special

About Agile

Teams?


Core Team

Core TeamCross-

FunctionalCo-located

SME

SME

SME SM

E

As a <Role> I want to <perform a function> so that

<some value>


<some value>


<some value>


<some value>

An Agile Team

Whatever skills are

needed to deliver


Agility Changes the Mindset About Teams

Teams Are the Fundamental Unit of

Organizational Learning

Organizations Don’t Respect That Enough


Core Team

Core TeamCross-


SME

SME

SME SM

E

We Expect More

Agile Teams:Take on More AccountabilityLearn Together

Business & Technology domains Team vs. individual behaviors

Experiment Together Fail forward together

Make Decisions TogetherMake Commitments

Together


Core Team

Core TeamCross-


SME

SME

SME SM

E

We Expect More

Agile Teams:Take on More AccountabilityLearn Together

Business & Technical domains Team vs. individual behaviors

Experiment Together Fail forward together

Make Decisions TogetherMake Commitments

Together

Building

Collective

Intelligence


Focus More on Horizontal AlignmentBu

sines

s Ana

lyst

s

Deve

lope

rs

QA/Te

ster

s

Supp

ort

Vertical Alignment

Teams

Accountabilities

1st

2nd


Team Member BehaviorsAn Agile Team Member

Is… Is Not… Proactive and takes initiative to get

work done Waiting for someone to tell them

what to do Open to new ideas and ways of

working Working on things outside of the

current team commitments Willing to accept and provide help

where needed A lone wolf

Open and honest about processes, current status, and issues of the day

Concerned about only his/her tasks

Someone who asks pertinent questions

Waits for someone else to raise an issue or question

Someone who actively listens to others for understanding

Focused only on individual success

Highly skilled, but willing to occasionally work outside of his/her area of expertise as needed

Focused on the team succeeding


Why Are Behaviors Important?

MindsetDrives

Behavior

Results

Behavior

Mindset

Behavior Drives Results

Source: The Outward Mindset – Arbinger Institute


Why Are Behaviors Important?

Results

Behavior

Mindset

MindsetDrives

Behavior

Behavior Drives Results


Organizations that

identify and address

pervasive mindsets

at the outset are

FOUR TIMES more

likely to succeed in

organizational

change – McKinsey (2014)


Outward versus Inward Mindset

Outward Mindset

Objectives & behaviors take others into account

Sees others

as people

Their needs,

objectives, &

challenges

Inward Mindset

Self-focused objectives & behaviors

Sees others

as objects

Their needs,

objectives, &

challenges



People

Aligning Work with People

Work Streams


Mindset?

Fortifies the Inward Mindset

Perpetuates Knowledge Silos


Priorities?

While We Think We Prioritize On

Business Value… We Really Prioritize on the Availability

of Key People

These Bottlenecks Slow Everything Down


People

Stop Bringing People to Work

Work Streams


Team

Start Bringing Work to Teams

Team

Team


Team

Start Bringing Work to Teams

Team

Team

Live Long and Prosper


Grow T-Shaped People

This

Should

Be Our

Goal


Grow T-Shaped People


Identify Key Bottlenecks Technical competencies Domain knowledge

Identify Potential Growth Opportunities People Knowledge areas

Consideration in Planning Team formation

Incentify Growth of Skill

Grow a Learning Program

75


What You Can Do:Recognize Your Team as a Unit of

Organizational Learning Build Collective Intelligence

Build Long Term Relationships Exhibit outward mindset

Grow Your “T-Shape” Minimize knowledge silos

Lobby for More Work for your Team


Build Long Lived Teams


What’s Holding You Back?Key Reminders

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write,

but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. -- Alvin Toffler


Agility Is An Organizational Change

Exper ime

n t a t io n

Pe r s i s t en c e

A Change of MindsetMore than

A Change of Method



Claim Time to Learn & ImproveRecognize That You Are Part of a

System Reach out to learn from others

Align Change with Value Creation Supporting purpose

Respect Long Lived Teams Build collective intelligence Grow an outward mindset T-Shaped people

Consulting ▪ Coaching ▪ Mentoring▪ Agile Adoption ▪ Agile Leadership ▪ Product

Management▪ Leadership Agility 360™ Assessment

▪ Certified LeSS Practitioner

Robbie Mac Iver

▪ Past President/Advisor National Board▪ Founder Houston Chapter

www.robbiemaciver.com

[email protected] @robbiemaciver

robbiemaciver

What's Holding You Back?

Leadership & Management

Transcript of What's Holding You Back?