Many approaches to implementing agile focus primarily on the adoption of common practices at the team level. While this focus on practices is important, recognizing that agile is a set of overarching values and principles is also important. Adopting agile “at scale” in organizations often means a culture change needs to take place. To facilitate change, we must understand culture, its levels, and how we can influence it. Agile transformations often stall because those leading the transformation fail to view it through the lens of a cultural change. Ebenezer Ikonne shares agile culture change management techniques for agile change leaders, change agents, and anyone interested in leading or participating in agile adoption in an organization. Learn how to see agile as a culture through the lens of the Schein Model of Organizational Culture. Discover tools for identifying artifacts, values, and tacit assumptions in your organization’s current subcultures, and explore how you can develop plans to adapt your subcultures to align with agile principles.

1. AT10
Scaling Agile
6/8/2017 3:00:00 PM
AT10 Guiding Cultural Adoption of Agile
at Scale
Presented by:
Ebenezer Ikonne
Cox Automotive
Brought to you by:
350 Corporate Way, Suite 400, Orange Park, FL 32073
888-­‐268-­‐8770 ·∙ 904-­‐278-­‐0524 - info@techwell.com - https://www.techwell.com/

2. Ebenezer Ikonne
Cox Automotive
Ebenezer Ikonne works for Cox Automotive (a business unit of Cox Enterprises)
where he helps teams develop and deliver software solutions that are
transforming the automotive industry. Ebenezer has held a wide range of senior
leadership positions in software product organizations, services organizations,
and startups. A champion of agile and lean solutions to problems posed by an
ever changing business landscape, Ebenezer is passionate about evolving the way
work gets done in order to deliver products and services that make a difference
in society. He blogs, is on Twitter @eikonne, and can be contacted on LinkedIn.

3. 5/31/2017
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Guiding Agile Cultural
Adaptation at Scale
Ebenezer Ikonne/June 8,2017
@eikonne
Not A Talk About Scaling Frameworks
@eikonne

4. 5/31/2017
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Three Key Takeaways
1. Determine If Agile Culture Is Appropriate
2. Have An Empowered Agile Culture Change
Team
3. Recognize That Culture Changes Obliquely
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@eikonne
Is Agile Culture
Appropriate For
Your Organization?
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g
@eikonne

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What Is Culture?
Culture is much more than “how we do things
d h ”around here”
…a pattern of shared tacit assumptions that was
learned by a group as it solved its problems of
external adaptation and internal integration
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external adaptation and internal integration…
Edgar Schein
@eikonne
Schein’s Three Levels of Culture
ArtifactsArtifacts
Visible
organizational
structures and
Espoused ValuesEspoused Values
structures and
processes
Strategies, goals,
philosophies
Unconscious, taken
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Underlying Beliefs/
Tacit Assumptions
Underlying Beliefs/
Tacit Assumptions
for granted beliefs,
perceptions,
thoughts and
feelings
@eikonne

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Agile as a Culture
ArtifactsArtifacts Short delivery
cycles
Espoused ValuesEspoused Values
cycles
Responding to
change
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We cannot
meaningfully
predict far into
the future
Underlying Beliefs/
Tacit Assumptions
Underlying Beliefs/
Tacit Assumptions
@eikonne
Organizations – Many Cultures, Many Beliefs
Team Team
South‐EastSouth‐East
AccountingAccounting
Product
Management
Product
Management
ExecutivesExecutives
SharknadoSharknado
User
Experience
User
Experience
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AccountingAccounting
Software
Development
Software
Development
@eikonne

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How Well Do Your Subcultures Align?
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@eikonne
vvoe/Shutterstock.com
Schein Cultural Assessment Model
Using Dialogue
1. State the business problem
2. Review concept of culture and its levels
3. Identify and list artifacts
4. Identify your organization’s espoused values
5. Compare values with artifacts
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6. Assess the shared assumptions
7. Decide next steps
@eikonne

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Is Agile Culture Appropriate?
Only if will enables us toOnly if will enables us to
solve our business
challenges and achieve
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our business goals
@eikonne
Is Agile Culture Appropriate?
Only if the organization isOnly if the organization is
willing to change its
beliefs, values and
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artifacts
@eikonne

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Culture is a choice not anCulture is a choice, not an
inheritance
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Sean Culey
Is Agile Appropriate For Your Organization ‐ Tips
Don’t assume that Agile
Identify how adopting
Agile culture can
Identify how adopting
Agile culture can
is appropriate address your specific
challenges
address your specific
challenges
Identify subcultures that
need to work together
in an Agile manner
Identify subcultures that
need to work together
in an Agile manner
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Perform assessments to
determine the degree of
change required
Perform assessments to
determine the degree of
change required
Don’t ignore history –
Chesterton’s fence
Don’t ignore history –
Chesterton’s fence

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Who Is Guiding YourWho Is Guiding Your
Agile Adaptation?
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@eikonne
Agile Culture Change Team
Agile cultural change requires
dedicated Agile Change Leaders AND
empowered Change Agents to be
successful
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@eikonne

11. 5/31/2017
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Who Are The Change Leaders?
These are individuals who:
• Challenge the status quoChallenge the status quo
with disconfirming
information
• Define the vision and
desired new behavior
• Support the change agents
facilitating change in the
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organization
• Embed culture in the
organization
@eikonne
Who Are The Change Agents?
These are individuals who:
• Guide, facilitate and
catalyze change in the
organization
• Understand the different
subcultures present
• Are passionate about
guiding the organization
to a new status quo
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@eikonne rdonar/Shutterstock.com

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Does yourDoes your
organization have a
empowered change
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empowered change
team?
@eikonne
Empowered Agile Culture Change Team – Tips
Cultural change is
Agile change requires
dedicated change leaders
Agile change requires
dedicated change leaders
intentional
dedicated change leaders
and empowered change
agents
dedicated change leaders
and empowered change
agents
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Change agents must be
empowered to guide
change
Change agents must be
empowered to guide
change
Change leaders are
responsible for
embedding culture
Change leaders are
responsible for
embedding culture

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Culture ChangeCulture Change
Happens Obliquely
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@eikonne
Obliquity
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@eikonne

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Change Behavior, Change Culture
People are much more likely to p y
act their way into a new way of
thinking, than think their way
into a new way of acting.
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y g
Richard Pascale@eikonne
How Do We Change?
Kurt Lewin’s Model
Unfreezing Transition Refreezing
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@eikonne

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A Word To The Wise!
Behavior Change <> Mindset Change
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Law Of The Vital Few
Less Is More!
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@eikonne

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Culture Changes Obliquely – Tips
People act their way
Make it safe for people to
learn Provide support and
Make it safe for people to
learn Provide support and
into new thinking
learn. Provide support and
tools.
learn. Provide support and
tools.
Remember to focus on
the vital few
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Unfreeze, transition,
refreeze
Unfreeze, transition,
refreeze
Culture only sticks if
behaviors lead to
success
Culture only sticks if
behaviors lead to
success
Recap
1. Determine If An Agile Culture Is Appropriate
2. Have An Real Culture Change Team
3. Recognize That Culture Changes Obliquely
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@eikonne

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Change Thyself (First)
Everyone thinks ofEveryone thinks of
changing the world, but no
one thinks of changing
hi lf
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himself.
Tolstoy
@eikonne
Additional Resources
• Organizational Culture and Leadership (Edgar Schein)Organizational Culture and Leadership (Edgar Schein)
• Obliquity (John Kay)
• The Heart of Change (John Kotter)
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@eikonne

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Q&A
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@eikonne
Let’s Connect!
• @eikonne• @eikonne
• linkedin.com/in/ebenezer‐ikonne
• eikonne.wordpress.com
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@eikonne