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how_do_we_overcome_i_win_you_lose_type_thinking_to_open_organization_to_learning [2019/01/06 12:21] – Set up workshop hpsamioshow_do_we_overcome_i_win_you_lose_type_thinking_to_open_organization_to_learning [2022/07/26 09:42] (current) – hans
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-====== How to we Overcome Win / Lose Type Thinking to Open an Organization to Learning? ======+====== How To Overcome Win-Lose Type Thinking to Open an Organization to Learning? ======
  
 ====== Premise ====== ====== Premise ======
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 ====== Abstract ====== ====== Abstract ======
 +
 +===== Version as Initially Presented =====
  
 When we work an agile transformation we see a number of leadership behaviors that slow the adoption of the new approach. One is that we continue to see people, especially leadership, get stuck on a particular position which they have trouble moving from. The feeling is that they don’t want to be seen to be losing if things don’t follow their thinking; that someone else will win. So while everyone will talk about "establishing a learning culture", the behavior isn't really about learning at all but rather posturing.  When we work an agile transformation we see a number of leadership behaviors that slow the adoption of the new approach. One is that we continue to see people, especially leadership, get stuck on a particular position which they have trouble moving from. The feeling is that they don’t want to be seen to be losing if things don’t follow their thinking; that someone else will win. So while everyone will talk about "establishing a learning culture", the behavior isn't really about learning at all but rather posturing. 
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 Of course in many ways this is all a lead up. In the final analysis we want people to retrospect regularly, discover problems and learn new things, and figure out ways to get better. This thinking should also support that and, if we have scheduled retrospectives, will help us be crisper about what we are seeing when we review the results of the experiment at the next retrospective. Of course in many ways this is all a lead up. In the final analysis we want people to retrospect regularly, discover problems and learn new things, and figure out ways to get better. This thinking should also support that and, if we have scheduled retrospectives, will help us be crisper about what we are seeing when we review the results of the experiment at the next retrospective.
 +
 +===== Updated Version as a Result of Feedback =====
 +
 +When we work an agile transformation we see a number of leadership behaviors that slow the adoption of the new approach. One that we often see is when people, especially leadership, get stuck on a particular position from which they have trouble moving even when there is significant evidence that their position is wrong. The feeling is that they don’t want to be seen to be losing if things don’t follow their thinking; that someone else will win. So while everyone will talk about “establishing a learning culture”, the behavior isn't really about learning but rather posturing.
 +
 +In traditional management cultures the problem is in the relative positioning - its either that I 100% win, or that I 100% lose. How do we encourage truth-seeking instead of posturing?
 +
 +What we need is to better way to deal with ambiguity by becoming more explicit on working with probabilities and less about absolute positions. This workshop will work through an understanding of why people think the way they do, the problems traditional thinking causes, an alternative approach using a “betting” metaphor to more accurately assess positions and encourage more collaboration and less posturing. We will:
 +
 +  * Review a bad decision you have made
 +  * Understand how we interpret the outcome of that decision
 +  * Understand how this interpretation leads to posturing and other poor outcomes for the organization
 +  * Use of a betting metaphor to change how we think about the outcome
 +  * Use of an template to capture these bets as an experiment
 +  * Develop ideas on how you can take this approach back to your organization
 +
 +By thinking in terms of bets, and setting up real experiments (with testable outcomes that are captured and reviewed), you will be able to improve how you and your organization makes decisions and collaborates. And you will help move the culture away from posturing to learning.
  
 ====== Learning Outcomes ====== ====== Learning Outcomes ======
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 ====== Prerequisite Knowledge ====== ====== Prerequisite Knowledge ======
  
-Expectation is that people have have come across the issue of leadership not really leaning in to the transformation, that they are pretty much behaving as they normally have.+None really, although there is an expectation that people have have come across this issue with leadership not really leaning in to the transformation, that they are pretty much behaving as they normally have and would like to work this issue.
  
 ====== Information for Program Team ====== ====== Information for Program Team ======
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   * Exercise: "What Are We Going to Do Tomorrow?" (5 minutes brain write)   * Exercise: "What Are We Going to Do Tomorrow?" (5 minutes brain write)
   * Close (5 mins)   * Close (5 mins)
 +
 +====== Presentation History ======
 +
 +I have been doing agile transformation work since 2007 coaching, facilitating workshops, developing training materials, working with executives and leadership, and working day-to-day on agile transformations from team to enterprise level. I am currently leading a transformation of a traditional IT organization that will result in over 100 teams, geographically dispersed. This experience lead to the creation of this new workshop. The approach discussed has been worked with groups of leaders and coaches in that transformation. This is the first time it has be pulled together as a single workshop session.
 +
 +I have also previously presented at the Agile Alliance Conferences:
 +
 +  * In 2016 I ran a workshop "How to Work Personality Issues Without Sounding Like a Marriage Guidance Counsellor?". The workshop was aimed at simple conflict resolution approaches for people who do not feel comfortable with soft skills. The workshop had well over 100 people in the room and received great reviews. The link below shows the preparation work for this session and has links to the PowerPoints and PDF versions of the workshop. Also see https://www.agilealliance.org/resources/sessions/how-to-work-personality-issues-without-sounding-like-a-marriage-guidance-counsellor/
 +  * In 2014 I presented a user experience called  "Our Estimates are Terrible!". This session was aimed at helping people change their focus from improving estimates when their plans don't work out to working the real issue - in this case over-committing. See https://www.agilealliance.org/resources/experience-reports/estimates-terrible/
 +  * In 2011 I presented a session called "Overcoming Traditional Project Release Reporting with an Agile Approach Focused on Change". This session was aimed at moving reporting away from status reporting with lots of data to an approach based on basic agile metrics. See https://www.agilealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Overcoming-Traditional-Project-Release-Reporting-with-an-Agile-Approach-Focused-on-Change-v04.pdf.
  
 ====== More Detail on the Workshop ====== ====== More Detail on the Workshop ======
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   * Loss aversion: Refers to people’s tendency to avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains: it is better to not lose 5 than to find 5. It is thought that the pain of losing is psychologically twice as powerful as the please of gaining.   * Loss aversion: Refers to people’s tendency to avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains: it is better to not lose 5 than to find 5. It is thought that the pain of losing is psychologically twice as powerful as the please of gaining.
  
-===== Experiment Template ===== 
- 
-Experiment Template 
- 
-See “snippet:experiment” 
  
-Idea: Brief description of the experiment +{{page>how_can_we_more_formally_capture_an_experiment#experiment template&notags&noindent&noeditbutton&nouser&nomdate&nodate}}
  
-- Expectation: 
-  - I think this will happen, but I am a 6(say, of of 10, so 60% chance) on that 
-- How will we know:  
-  - Data: what will we track 
-  - Tracked by: who with track it 
-  - Timebox: when will we come back and review this 
-- Result:  
-  - TBD - to be filled in while experiment is running  
-- Next: 
-  - TBD - to be filled in on completion of experiment 
  
 ====== My Notes ====== ====== My Notes ======
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 References: References:
  
-  * Book Thinking in Bets. To work through concept of bets, and setting up truth-seeking culture+  * [[thinking_in_bets_-_annie_duke|"Thinking in Bets" - Annie Duke]] - To work through concept of bets, and setting up truth-seeking culture
   * Book Math with Bad Drawings. To understand impact of independent events vs cascading events.   * Book Math with Bad Drawings. To understand impact of independent events vs cascading events.
  
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