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Note that we have some Incomplete Pages That Require Work on this site:-)
Or “I Delegate This Transformation To You …”
In general there are a couple of consumers of this anti-pattern:
This is a starting anti-pattern for leadership at many organizations. For coaches it is something seen when people first decided they need to “go agile” at the most senior levels of the transformation. Classic indicators are when the leadership team are only able to provide a couple of hours (say) to talk about agile and then appoint someone to take care of it. And while this is something that you will see most obviously with senior leadership, the pattern will repeat all the way through the various layers of management as they pass through the transformation.
In summary, we always start the transformation with the teams and launching them. Management sometimes don’t acknowledge they are the ones that need to transform too!
Without a real understanding of how the move to agile affects the way work is executed in the organization, without lining up the true goals of the transformation, without really understanding the changing role of leadership in the transformation, without developing an understanding of the cultural challenges faced by the organization, and without developing lean-agile expertise, the transformation to agile will be impeded:
The overall result is that while the transformation will look successful on the surface, while management will “declare success” of their part of the organization moving to an agile operation, the transformation will be in name only, with limited business results. Leadership is responsible for the overall system, and can only improve that if they have real knowledge of the new system.
Transform the teams but management keeps working in the old world. Team feels demotivated and not empowered. Team launches could be regretted work.
Take the time to help management and supervisors understand that they need to lean in. Many will interpret agile / lean words based on their current frame of reference which is the more “scientific”, “plan-based” approach. But people can be shown that its not “business as usual”.
In general once management understands the problem you will be able to ask them to lean in more effectively:
While it might not always be possible to hit a home run with management straight away, you should start the transformation with management as a key early component.
Symptoms include: