Episode 10 – Achieving self-management
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One area which distinguishes successful technology companies most is how the company builds teams. To be effective as an Agile organization, we need to make teams the primary unit by which development works. As a concept, that sounds straightforward. However, building effective teams proves to be one of the major challenges in implementing an Agile approach. Building team focus and empowerment runs counter to many traditional management ideas. A team is something more than a collection of individuals. The key difference is that the team have a shared goal or vision and a collective accountability to deliver this. They are working together to achieve this goal.
This podcast is AI-generated based on material from the “Agile Plays” website and book.
Transcript
Alright. So, we're diving into empowered teams today, and, wow, you've given me a lot to think about here. Yeah. Yeah. This agile manifesto and Oh, that's one pack.
The East India Company. I'm, I'm intrigued. How does all this fit together? Well, you know, it all comes back to how companies are structured, really. And we've seen this massive shish, haven't we, from the rigid hierarchies of the industrial revolution, you know, to the flexible team based models we see in today's, you know, Silicon Valley.
So it's like the difference between, I don't know, a giant slow moving cruise ship Yeah. And a fleet of jet skis. I like that analogy. Yeah. The cruise ship might have all the power, but, you know, it can't navigate tight spaces or, like, change course quickly.
Yeah. Exactly. And that's what this deep dive is really all about. How do those jet skis, those empowered teams actually work, and what makes them so effective? And what's interesting is you've even included 2024 agile, which looks at scaling these principles.
Right? And the paper from way back in 1986 called the new new product development game, which seems to have predicted a lot of what we see today. Yeah. It really did. So where do we even begin with all of this?
Let's start by contrasting the old scientific management style with this agile philosophy. Right? Think back to the, you know, the classic factory floor back in the day when efficiency was really the, you know, the king. So it's all about breaking down tasks into their smallest parts and then optimizing each one. Exactly.
Managers were like scientists, you know, studying each movement, trying to find the one best way, and workers became almost extensions of the machines. It sounds effective in a way, but also kinda dehumanizing if we're being honest. Yeah. It did have its place, especially in stable environments where things didn't change much. Right.
But in today's world where everything is so, you know, fast paced and constantly changing, you know, that rigid top down approach just falls apart. You know? Imagine trying to steer that massive cruise ship through a narrow channel with, you know, sudden turns. It's a disaster waiting to happen. That's where agile comes in.
I guess embracing that need to be flexible and adaptable. Yeah. Precisely. Agile shifts the focus from controlling individuals to empowering teams. It recognizes that the people closest to the work, you know, they often have the best insights.
They're in the trenches. Exactly. So how does this empowerment actually work in practice? One of the key principles is lowest viable level decision making. So instead of decisions, you know, getting bottlenecked at the top, they're pushed down to the people who have the most relevant information.
So you're giving those jet ski teams the authority to chart their own course instead of waiting for instructions from the cruise ship captain. Yeah. Exactly. Makes sense, but doesn't that create chaos? Not if you structure the teams properly, and that's where cross functional teams become so important.
You know? These teams have all the diverse skills they need, you know, design development, marketing, you name it. And this reduces dependencies on other teams, which can be a major, you know, a major bottleneck in a traditional hierarchy. So they're like little self sufficient units that can move fast and adapt quickly. Exactly.
But, you know, a team is more than just a collection of individuals working independently. Right? This is where collaboration becomes absolutely crucial. Takuchi and Onaka in their paper, the new new product development game, they actually use a rugby analogy to illustrate this. A rugby analogy.
Okay. I'm listening. So think about it in rugby. You can't just have individuals running off with the ball hoping to score on their own. You know?
They need to work together, pass the ball back and forth, support each other to advance down the field, and ultimately reach the goal. So it's about individual commitment, but woven into this collaborative effort, kinda like a successful software development team. Exactly. Each member has a vital role to play, but their success depends on how well they function as a unit. It's greater than the sum of its parts.
And Katzenbach and Smith, you know, in the wisdom of teams, they define a team as a small group of people with complementary skills committed to a common purpose. It's that shared purpose and accountability that drives high performance. So we've got these empowered cross functional teams making decisions at the lowest level and working collaboratively. It paints a pretty compelling picture, I have to say, but I imagine there are some challenges in actually putting this into practice. Oh, absolutely.
There are. And that's exactly what we'll be delving into in the next part of our deep dive. I'm ready for it. Yeah. So, you know, picking up where we left off, you're transitioning to empowered teams.
It's not always smooth sailing. Right. There are some definite roadblocks. You know? So let's talk about those roadblocks then.
What are some of the biggest challenges that companies face when they're trying to make this shift? I think one of the biggest hurdles is just plain old resistance to change. You know? People get comfortable with the familiar ways of working Sure. Even if those ways aren't actually ideal.
Yeah. Because change can be unsettling. It's easy to, you know, fear losing control. Exactly. And this is especially true for managers who are, you know, used to that more directive style, letting go and trusting their teams to make those decisions, that can be a real leap of faith for some people.
So how do you overcome that resistance then? Is it just a matter of, you know, telling people, hey. This is the new way to get on board? Oh, it's definitely more nuanced than that. Communication is key.
Like, explain why this change is happening. What are the benefits? How will it actually work in practice? So paint a clear vision of the future state and get everyone on board. Exactly.
And offering training and support is crucial as well. You know? People develop the new skills they need to actually succeed in this new environment. You can't just throw them in the deep end and expect them to swim. You know?
Yep. That makes sense. It's about giving people the tools they need to thrive in this new setup. So beyond that resistance, what other challenges do you see pop up? Another common one is just the lack of a clear definition of done, which sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how often this trips teams up.
Break that down for me. What makes done so tricky? If a team doesn't have a shared understanding of what actually constitutes complete, you end up with rework and wasted effort and a lot of frustration. Alright. So everyone might think they're on the same page, but, actually, they're working to different standards.
Exactly. And to avoid that, you know, teams really need a clear definition of done. This outlines every single criterion that a task needs to meet to be considered truly finished, things like code review testing, documentation, you know, all those essential steps. So it's about setting clear expectations and making sure everyone's aligned from the get go. Absolutely.
And this definition needs to be visible, you know, accessible to everyone involved. Yeah. No room for ambiguity there. Transparency is key. Exactly.
Okay. That makes sense. Yeah. But shifting gears a bit, how do you even measure the success of empowered teams? Sure.
Because in a traditional setup, you just, you know, look at individual performance. Mhmm. But with these self managing teams, it seems more complex. It is you've hit the nail on the head. It's about collective achievement.
Now metrics like velocity, you know, how much work the team completes each sprint can be helpful. Right. But you have to use those cautiously. I guess. Because you don't wanna create a pressure cooker environment where it's all about speed.
Yeah. Exactly. You know, you risk encouraging teams to cut corners and sacrifice quality just to hit those numbers. Right. So it's essential to balance velocity with other metrics like customer satisfaction, code quality, even team morale.
So it's taking more holistic view of performance and not just, you know, fixating on a single number. Precisely. And involving the team in actually defining those metrics is really important. Oh, sure. They have a sense of ownership and buy in that way.
Otherwise, it just feels like another top down imposition. Right? Right. Of course. Well, we've covered a lot of ground here from resistance to change to defining done to measuring success in these new ways.
And it's clear that, you know, moving to empowered teams, it's not just a simple flip of a switch. Oh, definitely not. It requires a real fundamental shift in mindset. It does. Moving from control to trust to collaboration Yeah.
Continuous improvement. It's a journey. It's a journey, not a destination. Well, this journey is definitely fascinating, I have to say. Mhmm.
But I feel like there's even more to uncover here. What other aspects should we explore in the final part of our deep dive? We've talked about the challenges. Let's dive deeper into the benefits of these empowered teams, you know, and how this new way of working is transforming organizations around the world, some incredible success stories out there. And that's what I like to hear, a glimpse of the positive impact.
So, alright, listeners, stick with us as we wrap up this exploration of empowered teams. We'll uncover those benefits and see what lessons we can all take away. Okay. So we've talked about the challenges of moving to these empowered teams, but you mentioned some pretty inspiring success stories too. I'm I'm ready for the good stuff.
What's the positive side of all this? Well, one of the biggest wins is definitely increased agility. You know, empowered teams can respond to changes so much faster than those that are stuck in that old, you know, hierarchical mud. So it's our jet ski teams versus the cruise ships again? Exactly.
Those jet skis, they can just zip and zag while the big guys are struggling even turn the wheel. And that agility leads to innovation. Right? Absolutely. When teams have the freedom to experiment and take ownership, they come up with these creative solutions you just wouldn't get otherwise.
It makes sense. If you're always waiting for instructions, you're less likely to, you know, try something new and risky. Exactly. And remember that psychological safety we talked about? Yeah.
That really flourishes in empowered teams. You know? When people feel trusted and respected, they're way more willing to, you know, speak up, share their ideas, even admit when they've messed up. They don't have that fear of being judged. Exactly.
And all of that leads to higher engagement and motivation. You know? When people feel like they actually have a voice and can make a real difference, they're just more invested in their work. So this is all sounding really good, but let's get down to brass tacks here. Do you have any, like, concrete examples of companies that have actually done this successfully?
Oh, absolutely. Because seeing is believing. Remember that 2024 agile report you shared? Yeah. There are some great examples in there.
One that stands out is Spotify. They've really embraced agile principles. You know, they organize around these small autonomous squads, and each squad has end to end responsibility for a specific feature or service. So each squad is like its own mini startup within the bigger company. Exactly.
Wow. That's interesting. What kind of impact has that had? Well, it's enabled them to innovate so rapidly. You know, they're constantly releasing new products, experimenting, personalizing the user experience.
It's really a hallmark of an empowered team culture. And they've managed to scale all of that without sacrificing speed or flexibility. Exactly. That's really impressive. Yeah.
When you think about it, this whole shift towards empowered teams, it seems like a natural progression, doesn't it? It does. If you look back, you know, to the Industrial revolution scientific management, those principles made sense in that world of mass production and, you know, standardized processes. Sure. But today, we're in a totally different world.
It's a knowledge economy. It's driven by creativity, by rapid innovation Right. Empowered teams. They're just better suited to this new reality. It's like we're moving away from the old rigid structures of the past towards something way more organic.
Exactly. And if Spotify is any indication this new way of working, it's really paving the way for some incredible successes. I couldn't agree more empowered teams. They're not just a trend. They're the future of work and the organizations that embrace this shift.
You know, they're the ones that are gonna thrive. So as we wrap up this deep dive, what's the key takeaway you hope our listeners walk away with? Well, if you wanna foster innovation, agility, and engagement, empowering your teams is the way to go. It won't be easy. There will be bumps along the road, but the potential rewards are just immense.
Well, this has been a fascinating journey exploring the ins and outs of empowered teams. We've seen how this approach contrasts with the traditional top down models and uncover the ingredients for success. I hope this deep dive has sparked some new ideas for our listeners and maybe inspired them to think about how they can create a more empowered and collaborative work environment. So thank you for joining us on this deep dive into empowered teams. We've covered a lot, but as always, there's even more to learn and discover.
Remember, the journey starts with a single step. So get out there and start empowering your teams today. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
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