Although all teams require a healthy level of interaction, high-performing teams' interactions are all based on trust, respect, and shared goals. Such teams find ways to overcome the fear of conflict, and quickly identify and resolve issues that are getting in the way. Scott Ross shares how, when the Omnyx software R&D department determined their culture was hindering performance, they crafted a core values statement that has served them well for the past three years. Scott describes the ways they proactively and intentionally use their value statement to drive the culture they seek and discusses the results they have achieved. Take back the list of resources that Scott uses daily to help himself and others see how their actions add to and take away from their core values. Return to the office prepared to use this same process with your team and start on the road to a high-performing team whose members love to come to work every day.

1.
BT11
Concurrent Session
11/8/2012 3:45 PM
"Leveraging Core Values for
Healthier, More Productive Teams"
Presented by:
Scott Ross
Omnyx
Brought to you by:
340 Corporate Way, Suite 300, Orange Park, FL 32073
888‐268‐8770 ∙ 904‐278‐0524 ∙ sqeinfo@sqe.com ∙ www.sqe.com

2. Scott Ross
Omnyx
In the software industry for more than twenty years, Scott Ross is currently director of software
at Omnyx, a joint venture of GE Healthcare and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He
has worked with scanners, handheld controllers, videoconferencing systems, pharmacy
applications, digital radiology, and now digital pathology in a variety of management positions.
Scott has been practicing Scrum for three years—after spending two years practicing Scrumbut. Passionate about vision and core values, Scott has helped transform churches and teams
using these tools. When well-written, vision statements can be challenging and energizing—and
can help bring out the best in people. Scott enjoys woodworking, golf, reading, and hiking.

3. Leveraging Core
Values for Healthier,
,
More Productive
Teams
•
•
An experience report for Better Software East
2012
Scott Ross
Director of Software, Omnyx
Scott.Ross@Omnyx.com
•
•
•
1
Omnyx – Who we are
Joint-venture of GE Healthcare and
UPMC, established in March 2008
110 employees at two locations in Pittsburgh,
PA and Piscataway, NJ
UPMC relationship gives us easy access to
our customers (pathologists, histologists, IT)
GE Healthcare relationship benefits us in
many ways: GRC, project/program
management, sales and support, architectural
reviews
A GE Healthcare and UPMC Venture
• 6 scrum teams
• Greenfield Development
• FDA Regulated
2
1

4. What is Omnyx: What We Do
•
Pathology
•
Integrated Digital Pathology
3
Omnyx – Where Were We in Late 2009?
4
2

5. “Agile-Friendly” Space
5
Our Scrum Mechanics – Basics … in place
Sprint Planning
Sprint Review
Sprint Retro
6
3

6. Solved Technical Hurdles
7
Stakeholder Excitement
4

7. Playing Together
9
The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
Inattention
to Results
Avoidance of
Accountability
Lack of Commitment
Fear of Conflict
Absence of Trust
10
5

8. So, What Motivated us to Write Our Core
Values?
11
Team Burn Down Charts – Sprint #13
Workflow
Diagnostic Viewer
Diagnostic Archive
12
6

9. Sprint #16 Burndown (Aggregate)
• Velocity - 41
• 54% of Sprint goal
• 84% of release goal
•Velocity Trends:
• 26.5, 52.5 (40), 50, 56, 32,41
13
VELOCITY CHART
14
7

10. Ineffective Conflict Resolution
15
Immature Understanding of “SelfOrganizing”
A self-organizing team takes responsibility
for meeting its commitments in accordance
with the business needs
needs.
It does NOT mean management “has no
right to interfere”.
It DOES mean “hold one another
accountable”, but accountable to what?
g
p
Against what standard should peers
judge one another?
16
8

11. Us Versus Them
17
Why Core Values?
•
•
Purpose Statement – why we exist
Mission Statement – what are we doing?
g
Vision Statement – A picture of the future not just how
it can be, but how it must be
•
Core Values – How do we behave when we do the
things we do?
•
18
9

12. Creating a Core Values Statement - Prepare
Articulate the motivation: Core Values are a tool to help us
become less like we are and more like we want to be
Get
G management alignment
li
Establish a sense of urgency – this is about more than creating
a document
Identify and prepare the leaders
19
Creating a Core Values Statement - Build
Brainstorm with the teams
What do you love about Omnyx?
y
y
What things would you change about Omnyx?
What does “the best company you can imagine” look like?
What trends emerge from these brainstorming sessions?
Wordsmith – 17 revisions
Don’t let it become mechanical. Passion is required
for change.
20
10

13. Creating a Core Values Statement - Support
My favorite Quote about Communication:
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that
it has k
i h taken place.” – G
l
” George Bernard Sh
B
d Shaw
Repeat the Message
Keep an eye out for apathy/hostility/undermining. Share from
your heart.
Get verbal commitment to “our” core values (not management’s
(
g
core values)
21
Core Value 1: Integrity and Respect
We value Integrity & Respect, and believe that
by being honest and courteous, we build trust
which is foundational to building great teams.
•
22
11

14. Core Value 2: Communication and Courage
We value Communication & Courage and
believe that by listening, disseminating, and
engaging in difficult conversations to resolve
issues we create a healthy workplace.
•
23
Core Value 3: Accountability and
Commitment
We value Accountability & Commitment and
believe that by driving to meet our goals and
being responsible for our words and actions we
can produce extraordinary results.
•
24
12

15. Core Value 4: Learning and Continuous
Improvement
We value Learning & Continuous
Improvement and believe that by seeking
challenging opportunities, giving and receiving
honest feedback and following through, we drive
positive change.
•
25
Core Value 5: Teamwork and Humility
We value Teamwork & Humility and believe
that by collaborating, sharing common goals,
and buying into decisions we develop efficient
solutions.
•
26
13

16. Core Value 6: People and Community
We value People & Community and believe
that by hiring and investing in great people and
encouraging work/life balance we build a lasting
organization.
•
27
What Had
We
Accomplished?
Not much: We
created a tool to
help drive
change.
28
14

17. Leveraging Our Core Values Statement
•In our 1-on-1 meetings
– InfoPath form asks how we are doing (good and bad) in living our core values
– If you re leaving this section blank – you are not helping us
you’re
•In our team meetings (top 3, bottom 1)
– Strong drift towards good technical work – associate it with our core values
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
eQuip Sessions
tQuip Sessions
Got everyone involved
Wordsmith/Feedback Cycle
Compared our Culture to our Core Values
Referred to them Early and Often
“Pull the pain forward”
29
LEVERAGING OUR CORE
VALUES
30
15

18. Biweekly 1 on 1 Form
31
1-on-1 Forms: Real Examples
There is resentment with regard to clinical regulatory exerting
control influence in our development cycle. I've tried to
provide examples of why this is appropriate.
appropriate
•
I worry sometimes that we get in a rush and forget our
manners, thereby being disrespectful and causing
unnecessary conflict. For example, more than once I have
called meetings to which all attendees accept, and yet no one
attends.
•
Teamwork - Chris went out of his way to help Kier when Kier
was dealing with some learning curve issue with the scanner
code.
•
•
32
16

19. Biweekly Team Meetings
Call out individuals Constant reminder that
these are about core
values, not just good
technical work
Call out group behavior 31
3:1 ratio of positive to
negative helps, but the
negative is all people
hear sometimes
33
Communication and Courage
We value Communication & Courage and believe that by listening,
disseminating, and engaging in difficult conversations to resolve issues we
create a healthy workplace.
•
• From: “compliment in public criticize in private”
• To: “Give feedback for the purpose of helping
the individual and the team”
• MBTI: Watch the team mix
• SBI
• TKI
• Too many eMails? – get on the phone
• Talking about someone is easier than talking to
them
34
17

20. Integrity and Respect
We value Integrity & Respect, and believe that by being honest and
courteous, we build trust which is foundational to building great teams.
•
• Mentor, set examples which kill gossip
• Celebrate diversity of skills – getting things
done
• Intentional focus when hiring
• Integrity is Pass/Fail
35
Accountability and Commitment
We value Accountability & Commitment and believe that by driving to
meet our goals and being responsible for our words and actions we can
produce extraordinary results.
•
• Releases and sprints – force the commitment
(don’t force what we are committing to)
• When we fall short, it’s OK, but it’s not
acceptable
• Big thumbs up or thumbs down on sprint reviews
g
p
p
36
18

21. Learning and Continuous Improvement
We value Learning & Continuous Improvement and believe that by
seeking challenging opportunities, giving and receiving honest feedback and
following through, we drive positive change.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
eQuip (S.O.L.I.D., Dep. Inj., B.D.D., …)
tQuip (JoHari Window, Risk-based, equiv. part.)
Brown bags
Conferences
Local user groups
g
p
Histology/Pathology lab visits
Daily Brain teasers
Leadership Book Club
Ted Talk Tuesdays
37
Teamwork and Humility
We value Teamwork & Humility and believe that by collaborating, sharing
common goals, and buying into decisions we develop efficient solutions.
•
•
•
•
•
Teamwork is one of our great strengths
Make people aware when “I” dominates “We”
Interviews: Hungry/Humble/Smart
Teambuilding Events
38
19

22. People and Community
We value People & Community and believe that by hiring and investing in
great people and encouraging work/life balance we build a lasting
organization.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Piggy banks to charity
Serving Opportunities
Happy Hour
Fantasy Football
Foosball Tournaments
Annual Chili Cook-off
39
The Hardest Parts
1. Employees who don’t buy in. We work with them, share our passion, try
to get them engaged. But we don’t wait forever and will not let negative
individuals destroy our culture.
•
•
•
2. Continuous learning and continuous improvement can be exhausting ☺
3. Consumerism – bring me my culture
40
20

23. Omnyx Now
41
The “Real” Results
•
1. “Us and them” is gone and morale is significantly improved
2. Scrum team members are holding each other accountable
and h i the diffi l conversations. Even card-carrying
d having h difficult
i
E
d
i
introverts.
•
3. The decibel level of our conversations has lowered, but the
passion hasn’t.
•
4. Continuous learning is more widely embraced not just by the
few.
few
•
•
•
5. Scrum predictability has improved.
6. Very Low Turnover (2 voluntary attrition in my 3 years)
42
21

24. One of the Best Places to Work in Pittsburgh
43
We Have More Drama in our Meetings
44
22

25. Where are the Metrics?
•
I am suspicious of metrics which measure “soft skills” or culture
As a small company, we don’t conduct surveys on morale. So
we d ’ h
don’t have numbers to show the morale b f
b
h
h
l before and after.
d f
•
Our scrum performance is better, but there are a lot of
differences and it would be misleading to imply we know
precisely what role core values played in doing scrum better.
•
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The key metric over time will be the success of our company.
45
RESOURCES
46
23

26. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
R&D Conflict Preferences
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accomodating
47
Conflict “Types"
My Way
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accomodating
48
24

27. Conflict “Types (Cont.)
The Pushover
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accomodating
49
Conflict Types (Cont.)
Mr. Hyde
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accomodating
50
25

28. SBI – Situation, Behavior, Impact
51
52
26

29. 53
StrengthsFinder 2.0 – A Success Story
54
27

30. BIBS
55
Johari Window
56
28

31. 57
Recommended Reading
58
29

32. Summary
Scrum mechanics is what everybody gets started with but those are the easy
problems to solve - the early gains. The real long term gains are in going
deeper into “soft skills” which is hard for engineers, managers, and
organizations, especially if nobody h it on th i G&O
i ti
i ll
b d has
their G&Os.
•
Core values provide a reference for people to judge peer behavior. We think
this is critical for self-organizing teams.
•
Having a core values statement is fine. But then you need to continually
reference it and leverage it as a tool.
•
59
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge my coworkers at Omnyx for being an essential
part of my continuous learning and (hopefully) continuous improvement.
•
•
Thanks for your time today.
Questions?
60
30