Tag: culture

Agree to disagree

Though this term sounds pretty modern, the first mention is over 400 years old. Especially in heated conflicts, this pattern could ease the confrontation and might lead to different solution strategies. “Agree to disagree” is a valuable conflict resolution strategy that involves acknowledging differing viewpoints without forcing a consensus. This approach allows individuals to express…
Dance with the system

Nothing describes an effective approach to handle complexity better than “dance with the system”. The first time I heard this expression was from Jurgen Appelo in his book “How to change the world” ² “Dance with the system” is a metaphor used to describe an adaptive and fluid approach to managing complex environments. In such…
Do-ocracy

This powerful culture thrives in organisations with active trust and respect, where people take responsibility. It’s similar to the pattern “better to beg for pardon than to ask for permission“. Do-ocracy, a term derived from “do” and “democracy,” is a concept that emphasizes action and initiative over formal hierarchy or decision-making processes. In Agile environments,…
Chinese whisper

From my childhood on, the game “chinese whisper” was an essential game at childrens birthday parties. What often ends up in a loud laughter, the effects of chinese whisper in organisations could turn out in severe problems. In Agile teams, effective communication is essential for collaboration and productivity. However, the “Telephone Game” effect, where messages…
Tribal leadership

This book was a kind of eye opener to me – how personal beliefs influnce the cooperation in teams and organisations. At the heart of Tribal Leadership is the concept of “tribes,” which refers to the social groups or communities that form within organizations. The authors identify five stages of tribal culture, ranging from “Stage…
Team health check

In agile environments, the health and effectiveness of teams are crucial for delivering value and achieving success. Team Health Checks are valuable tools used to assess and improve the well-being and performance of Agile teams. So let’s have a look into some popular approaches to Team Health Checks and their benefits. One common method is…
Our drivers

In fact, the driver model is the opposite of instrinsic motivators. But still, they could have a strong influence on our social behaviour – even in work environments. So if you’re a perfectionist who redoes everything, or you constantly push yourself to the limit. These underlying behavioral motivators are what psychologist Taibi Kahler called “drivers.”…
Skin in the game

tl;dr: Sharing the burden of risk in big decisions is crucial. It promotes fairness, streamlines business, and helps manage risk. Moreover, on the long run it fosters a deeper understanding of the overall situation. Coined by renowned investor Nassim Nicholas Taleb², this concept refers to having a personal stake or investment in a venture, beyond…
Net negative producing developer

This blog post is about an anti pattern – and on top contains another anti pattern in itself (in my opinion). So what is a net negative producing developer? Originally described by G. Gordon Schulmeyer in the early 90’s, it’s basically a member of a (software) team whose contributions to a project result in more…
Pairing

(Spoiler alert: the secret benefit of pairing is better understanding and cooperation within the team.)I think you all know pair programming or even mob programming – maybe you do it regurarly in your team. But did you try pair writing or pair tasking in general? If you yet didn’t hear about pair programming: it’s a…
Open books

In my former company, we opened our books about 15 years ago. And since then, it was a crucial part of our collaboration.In an agile organization, opening the books—sharing financial information, strategic plans, and operational metrics—can be a transformative practice, fostering a culture of participation and loyalty among employees. When employees have access to transparent…
Status quo bias

I’ll confess, I’m a creature of habit. The same coffee shop order every morning, the well-worn route to work – there’s a comfort in the familiar. The status quo bias, our tendency to favor the current state of affairs, can be a major roadblock for businesses navigating a VUCA landscape. Imagine a company clinging to…
Slack time

As far as I know, Google didn’t invent slack time. But yes, the “20% rule” made the slack time famous.² The word itself derives from the slack action in railways. Slack time, often referred to as “buffer time” or “cushion time,” is a concept that emphasizes the importance of scheduling flexibility in complex projects. It…
Appreciative Inquiry

AI is a format I always wanted to implement in my environment or experience it in action. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a method used to discover and define a vision for an organization or project by focusing on its strengths, successes, and positive attributes. Rather than identifying problems and weaknesses, AI seeks to uncover what…
Draw a toast

“Draw a Toast” is a creative exercise aimed at fostering innovation and problem-solving skills. The method involves a simple task: drawing a toast, either on paper or using digital tools, in the most imaginative and unconventional way possible. Participants are encouraged to think outside the box, exploring different shapes, materials, and concepts to represent toast…
Airtime

Teamwork has many aspects – trust is one essential pillar. Building trust with your crew takes more than just meetings and deadlines. Here’s a hidden gem: airtime – those casual chats and moments that happen outside of official huddles. These quick conversations might seem unimportant, but they’re a powerful tool for building trust. Why? Because…
Brown bag session

Have you ever be part of a team which used to have brown bag session?These are informal gatherings where team members come together to share knowledge, learn from each other, and discuss topics of interest over lunch or snacks (hence the name “brown bag session”). These sessions offer a valuable opportunity for continuous learning and…
ROWE

Sometimes I see managers struggling to find the perfect balance between productivity and flexibility, especially nowadays working from home. That’s why I’m a big advocate for Results-Only Work Environments (ROWE). Here’s why I believe the principle ROWE can be a game-changer for agile teams: Implementing ROWE effectively requires clear communication, established goals, and strong team…
Change or die

Honstely, I love this book! Back in 2014 a friend of mine recommended it to me and I red it in three days (it’s pretty short). Alan Deutschmann was shocked by a report that many patients who received a bypass rather prefer to die within few years than change their lives. So he started to…
True north

Imagine navigating a dense fog in a complex market – that’s what it’s like for a team or company without a “True North.” This guiding principle, encompassing your core purpose and values, acts as a compass in uncertain times. Here’s why it’s crucial: A real true north is way more than the big writing over…
Walk the talk

The term “walk the talk” originates from the idea that actions speak louder than words. It emphasizes the importance of aligning one’s behavior with their stated beliefs or values. The phrase implies that it’s not enough to merely talk about something; one must demonstrate their commitment through consistent actions. Historically, the concept can be traced…
Pay day at mid-month

Have you ever asked yourself why you get your salary at the end of the month? It’s a habit which most companies follow. But when you listen to the explanation of HR, you just hear reasons for the benefit of the shareholders. In my former company I was head of HR and about 15 years…
Shu Ha Ri

Have you ever felt like a beginner again, even in a familiar field? Perhaps you’ve mastered the basics of a new software program but struggle to navigate its advanced features. This experience highlights the ongoing process of skill development, a concept beautifully captured by the Shu Ha Ri model. Originating from Japanese martial arts, Shu…
Most respectful interpretation

Misunderstandings and hurt feelings are inevitable in any team environment. But what if there was a way to navigate these situations with more grace and understanding? Enter the “Most Respectful Interpretation” (MRI) technique. MRI flips the script on negativity bias. Instead of assuming the worst in someone’s actions or words, MRI encourages us to seek…
Eat your own dogfood

Though the slogan might sound a bit odd, I’d like to claim it as a concept crucial to our success as a product-driven organization: adopting what’s known as the “eat your own dogfood” philosophy. This principle emphasizes the importance of internal product usage by our own team members. Let’s have a closer look into the…
Niko Niko Calendar

The Niko Niko calendar is a tool used by some teams to track how happy or sad everyone feels each day. Instead of just noting down tasks or meetings, people also write down their moods. This helps the team see if there are any patterns in how people are feeling over time. Each team member…
Better ask for pardon …

… then beg for permission! In out modern project world, things change fast, and you gotta make choices on the fly. The saying “better ask for forgiveness later than permission beforehand” can be challenging in these high-pressure moments. Let’s see why: 1. Catch the Opportunity Before It Zooms Past: Complex environments are full of surprises,…
Iceberg model

The Iceberg image is probably one of the best know models in personal and team development. And still it is worth to mention – and to regurarly remind it. The Iceberg Model is a user-friendly tool that helps us understand the bigger picture. It uses the iceberg metaphor to explain how our immediate reactions (surface…
Kudo wall

Appreciation is a great example for “important and not urgent”. But recognizing and celebrating achievements, big or small, is essential for fostering a positive and productive team culture. I first learned about kudo cards and the kudo wall from management 3.0 meetings in Munich. A kudo wall is a physical or virtual space dedicated to…
Whataboutism

Whataboutism, where people respond to criticism by pointing out flaws in others, happens because folks want to avoid taking responsibility. It’s like when you’re in trouble and you try to change the subject instead of facing the music. This happens a lot when things get heated, especially in arguments where sides are really divided. Whataboutism…
Anecdotal evidence

Big fancy words can cloud important ideas, so let’s talk about something that trips up businesses sometimes: relying on “war stories” instead of hard data. These war stories, also called anecdotal evidence, are basically just personal experiences or rumors – like saying a product is bad because your friend had one issue. Here’s the problem:…
If it hurts ….

… do it more often! is my favourite short form of the original quote “If it hurts, do it more frequently, and bring the pain forward.” by Jez Humble from the book Continuous Delivery ² Martin Fowler³ describes the advantages for this approach: The target environment mentioned above is devops, but in my opinion it applies…
Prime directive

One of my favourite moments in the beginning of a retrospective is the reading of the primce directive by Norman Kerth: “Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the…
Elephant in the room

The phrase “elephant in the room” refers to a big, obvious problem that everyone is aware of, but nobody wants to talk about. It’s like there’s a giant elephant right in the middle of the room, but everyone pretends they don’t see it. Cause: There can be many reasons why people might avoid discussing the…