1. should distributed agile
have a Third culture ?
Line Mark Rugholt, Culturewise
Agile NCR, Xebia
Delhi, 25th February 2011
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2. purpose
• Should Distributed Agile have a Third
Culture?
• Inspire Distributed Agilists to benefit from
the “third culture” notion
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3. presentation
• Line Mark Rugholt
• Process Facilitator (Attractor-Ramboll)
• Certified Cultural Detective
• MA Indian Studies
• Worked, traveled, and studied in India, now live in Delhi
• Culturewise, since 2007:
• Cultural workshops, expat training, books, networking,
consulting, lectures...
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4. agenda
• The concept of “Third Culture”
• Case stories
• Hierarchy - Flat Structure
• Communication style
• What can you do?
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5. framing -
distributed teams
• Challenges:
• Distance
• Change
• Practical challenges
• !Cultural differences!
• Benefits:
• We are able communicate and learn new
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6. change matrix
Influence A third culture
- “our way” - “a new and common way”
Keep at home Change
- “ok, I do not need that..” - “their way”
Source: Culturewise
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7. can I please go to the
toilet ?
• One of our Indian programmers contacted me on
the chat from our Indian office in order to ask
whether he could go the bathroom. I found this
inquiry very funny, and in order to keep up the
fun, I boldly answered that he could wait until he
had the day off - and that today I wanted him to
stay a couple of hours more. Some hours passed
and the programmer called me and asked in a
strained voice for allowance to go to the
bathroom!
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8. Indian - Danish management
Indian manager Danish manager
“Possessor of Power” “Facilitator”
has responsibility and takes delegates responsibility and
decisions decisions
has knowledge about the
coordinates knowledge
whole project
used to team members used to critical feedback from
following instructions team members
role and placement in the role in the hierarchy can
hierarchy follows seniority change
Source: Culturewise
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9. team members
Indian team member Danish team member
follows processes works independently
specialised holistic thinking
role is described defines role themselves
roles fits hierarchy role can change
Source: Culturewise
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10. be a part of the team
• When I came to India for my first assignment as
a project manager, my office was what I would
call a “glass cage”. I did not like being there all by
myself, so I went and joined the team outside. In
the beginning they found it really strange and
were not saying much - it was almost as if they
feared me. However, after a while the team and I
had great fun, and now I have become a part of
the team, and the team members are much
more open to me now.
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11. choose a table
• Project managers in this company do not
have their own office or other visible
object that show their place in the
hierarchy. But in order to accommodate
Indian culture, the project managers could
choose desks before the rest of the team.
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12. third culture
hierarchy
• Balance hierarchy
• Indians can use their competences and ideas
• Danes has to accept that there is some hierarchy
• Describe expectations to team roles
• Danes learn about processes and structure
from Indian work culture
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13. Communication
How certain are you before you use the word “yes” in an answer?
0% 100%
5% 95%
Indians Danes
Source: Culturewise
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14. Yes/no - matrix
Danmark India
Confirmation “Yes” “Yes”
“No”
“Yes, I will try”
In doubt “No, maybe in two
“Yes, if ....”
days”
“It might be difficult”
Rejection “No” “Yes, but not yet”
“Yes, sir”
Source: Culturewise
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15. © all rights reserved Culturewise

16. do they tell the
truth ?
• I am not always sure that my Indian
colleagues understand me. I experience that
they nod and say yes, but later on I realise
that they did not understand me. Can I do
anything to make them admit that they do
not understand me?
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17. The shy Indians
• We Indians sugarcoat and Danes are frank.
How can we tell them a negative message?
What do they expect?
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18. third culture
communication
• “Indian yes or Danish yes”
• Balance communication style:
• Danes must be more positive
• Indians focus more on negative
• Processes that enhance communication
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19. change matrix
Influence A third culture
- “a new and common way”
- “our way”
Keep at home Change
- “ok, I do not need that..” - “their way”
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20. how can you create a
third culture?
• Gain knowledge => understanding:
• Cultural training, read books, be curious and ASK!
• Share expectations:
• Communication style, expectation to roles in a team, motivation,
knowledge transfer....
• Set the stage - create a third culture:
• Design new processes and role descriptions
• “The Virtual Coffee Machine”
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21. should distributed agile
have a Third culture ?
Line:Yes!
You: ??
Thanks!
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