[SCRUMDEVELOPMENT] Agility-Reducing Organizational Design Patterns Unfortunately Still Taught Today

[Michael James [e-mail] [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]]

I’ve been sharing my opinion with some of the other Scrum trainers and coaches that a lot of the stuff we’ve been teaching large organizations (meaning more than one Scrum Team) has not been making those organizations better able to learn and adapt to reality. As I see it, Scrum and the Agile Manifesto imply something much more like the right side than the left side.

The left side “works” by accommodating the existing hierarchy, making people comfortable, making the consultant look smart. But that isn’t increasing the organization’s agility.

—mj
(Michael)

[Michael James [e-mail] [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]]

Post by Michael James ***@gmail.com [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]
The left side “works” by accommodating the existing hierarchy, making people comfortable, making the consultant look smart.

To that, I should have added “and increasing ‘velocity.’”

—mj
(Michael)

['Alexander Kriegisch' [e-mail] [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]]

I have just looked into your attached slide. Basically I see many things there
I agree with. What remains unclear to me is the SM role you are suggesting.
What does she do other than have conversations about meta topics with team, PO
and management? Probably I am just missing context, thus not getting the gist
of it.

*Lacking* context, that was. Sorry.

Post by Michael James ***@gmail.com [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]
I’ve been sharing my opinion with some of the other Scrum trainers and
coaches that a lot of the stuff we’ve been teaching large organizations
(meaning more than one Scrum Team) has not been making those organizations
better able to learn and adapt to reality. As I see it, Scrum and the Agile
Manifesto imply something much more like the right side than the left side.
The left side “works” by accommodating the existing hierarchy, making
people comfortable, making the consultant look smart. But that isn’t
increasing the organization’s agility.

['Alexander Kriegisch' [e-mail] [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]]

I have just looked into your attached slide. Basically I see many things there I agree with. What remains unclear to me is the SM role you are suggesting. What does she do other than have conversations about meta topics with team, PO and management? Probably I am just missing context, thus not getting the gist of it.
--
Alexander Kriegisch

Scrum-Master.de - Agiles Projektmanagement
https://scrum-master.de

Post by Michael James ***@gmail.com [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]
I’ve been sharing my opinion with some of the other Scrum trainers and
coaches that a lot of the stuff we’ve been teaching large organizations
(meaning more than one Scrum Team) has not been making those organizations
better able to learn and adapt to reality. As I see it, Scrum and the Agile
Manifesto imply something much more like the right side than the left side.
The left side “works” by accommodating the existing hierarchy, making
people comfortable, making the consultant look smart. But that isn’t
increasing the organization’s agility.
—mj
(Michael)

[George Dinwiddie [e-mail] [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]]

Michael,

There's no doubt that many organizations operate in a ways that reduces
their agility. I find that the systemic interactions vary from
organization to organization, and that changing these interactions
requires study of that particular organization to find the feedback
loops that maintain the status quo. Handing them these diagrams and
saying "work this way" won't help them for a variety of reasons.

- George

Post by Michael James ***@gmail.com [SCRUMDEVELOPMENT]
I’ve been sharing my opinion with some of the other Scrum trainers and coaches that a lot of the stuff we’ve been teaching large organizations (meaning more than one Scrum Team) has not been making those organizations better able to learn and adapt to reality. As I see it, Scrum and the Agile Manifesto imply something much more like the right side than the left side.
The left side “works” by accommodating the existing hierarchy, making people comfortable, making the consultant look smart. But that isn’t increasing the organization’s agility.
—mj
(Michael)