2. CHALLENGES
• BASIC CHALLENGE OF TODAY: INCREASING PACE OF
CHANGE (TECHNOLOGY, MARKETS, REGULATIONS ETC.),
MEANING MUCH LESS STABLE ENVIRONMENT:
CONSTANT CHANGE
• INCREASING COMPLEXITY OF APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEMS
COMPOSED OF THEM, CONSTANT CONNCECTIVITY
MEANING CONTANT INTERDEPENDENCE, INCREASINGLY
ABSTRACT PROGRAMING LANGUAGES:
INCREASING COMPLEXITY
3. WHAT IS SUCCESS?
• IN LIGHT OF CONSTANT CHANGE AND INCREASING COMPLEXITY PLANS ARE ONLY
TEMPORARY FORECASTS – COMPLETING SOMETHING AS PLANNED IS NOT A
SUCCESS.
• SUCCESS IS A STATE IN WHICH SYSTEM/ APPLICATION/
PRODUCT/ORGANIZATION/TEAM ADEQUATELY RESPONDS
TO THE NEEDS OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
• MAINTAINING THIS STATE OVER TIME IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN
ATTAINING IT ONCE - IT REQUIRES CONSTANT INSPECTION OF BOTH THE
EXTERNAL CONDITIONS AND THE ORGANIZATIONS’ STATE THEN
INTRODUCING CHANGES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
• TRADITIONAL METHODS AND STRUCUTRES ARE NOT ADEQUATE, BECAUSE
THEY DON’T HARNESS THE FULL BRAINPOWER OF TEAM(S)
4. MENTAL SHIFT
• OLD PARADIGM: MANAGER TELLS PEOPLE WHAT TO DO („POINT-AND-
TELL MANAGEMENT”) AND HOW TO DO IT
• NEW PARADIGM: MANAGER INDICATES GENERAL
DIRECTION & CREATES CONDITIONS FOR SELF-
ORGANIZING TEAMS TO EMERGE AND WORK
• IT IS STILL A LOT OF WORK, BUT THIS WORK IS PEOPLE-ORIENTED (AS
OPPOSED TO BEING CONCENTRATED ON PLANS, PROCESSES AND
PRODUCTS)
9. ENVIRONMENT FOR
AGILE
• ORGNIZATION’S CULTURE – AGILE NEEDS A CULTURE OF OPENNESS
AND TRUST. CULTURE OF INFORMATION RATIONING
(COMPARTMENATLIZATION) AND DISTRUST IS INHERENTLY
INCOMPATIBLE WITH IT. IT ALSO NEEDS A CULTURE THAT VALUES
CRAFTSMANSHIP – „ART MUST NOT SUFFER” – AND ALLOWS PEOPLE
TO ERR.
• PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT – SUPPORTS AGILITY IF IT IS TEAM-
CENTERED, HELPING TEAMS WORK TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE,
SUPPORTING VISUALIZATION
• VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT – ENGINEERING TOOLING NEEDED – CI
SYSTEMS/SERVERS, TEST/STAGING SYSTEMS, CODE REPOSTIORIES,
ETC.
10. MANAGER’S ROLE
• CREATES AND SUSTAINS A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT IS ROOTED IN
TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY
• CARES FOR TEAM CULTURE – MANY FACTORS SHAPE IT, BUT
LEADER’S EXAMPLE & INFLUENCE IS SIGNIFFICANT
• „TEAM GROOMING” – SELF-ORGANIZING TEAM DON’T CLASSING
„POINT-AND-TELL” MANAGEMENT, BUT THEY NEED GENERAL
OVERSIGHT AND OCCASIONAL INTERVENTION
• REMOVING IMPEDIMENTS AND DYSFUNCTIONS – MANAGER MUST
STEP IN AND HELP WHERE TEAMS CAN’T RESOLVE PROBLEMS
• MENTORING – ONE OF KEY ASPECTS OF A MANAGER’S ROLE, TAKING
CARE OF PEOPLE’S DEVELOPMENT, SHARING EXPERIENCE, ASSISTING
IN LEARNING
11. MANAGEMENT
THEN NOW
• TELLS PEOPLE WHAT • MOTIVATES
TO DO (TASKS) THROUGH CHALLENGE
• MEASURES • SUSTAINS
PROGRESS SUPPORTIVE
ENVIRONMENT
• ASSESSES
INDIVIDUALS • ENSURES RIGHT
PEOPLE ARE IN
It is worth noting that is has been 4 years since we are in an economic crisis that has been likened to the Great Depression. This is a period of additional uncertainty – how good a 5 year investment plan seems now? How likely it is that things will go back to „happy years” of growth soon? Consequences of the two key challenges mentioned: model in which one bright mind thinks, invents, plans, communicates and others just do what they are told doesn’t work anymore. To deal with this level of constantly changing complexity we need all the brain power we can get.