Tribal Leadership - Agile Transformation

Tribal Leadership – Agile Transformation

Each of transformation that I am part of is unique but it seems the people and teams show similar patterns of  what described in Tribal leadership book.

Stage 1: Despairing Hostility Theme: “Life sucks.”

Majority of the teams consists of people lead by those leaders who happens to be in right place in right time to grab the opportunity with luck over talent. Some of these groups see the issues with labor, immigration departments, people problems, frauds, high attrition, below average salaries, low morale etc. Most likely thy will not have daily scrums or they don’t see any valid reason to adopt any agile methodologies and sometimes not any. We hear one or two voices only in meetings. Delay and silos would be common theme of the teams and reward for creativity could be peer recognition and conflicts are not work related topics. Hostility, negligence and clan culture are common traits. These organizations have slow growth. Transformation approach may include but not limited to Hierarchy, Training, libertarian Paternalism, Nudge, incentives. Their success is based on the influencers

Stage 2: Disconnected and no initiative: “My life sucks.”

People do the minimum to get by and show no initiative or passion. They cluster together to show passive aggression while telling the people in-charge they are on board with organizational initiatives. Giving up is the enlighten things to do. From management perspective nothing works to change their mood. Team building, training, even selective termination. The culture is endless needs, disappointment, repressed anger.  Transformation approach may include but not limited to Nudge, smallest possible assignments for quick wins, multiple quick wins, one-on-one sessions high lighting their strengths.

 

Stage 3: “I’m great.” Or, more fully, “I’m great and you’re not.”

People are engaged with commitment as individual but not as teams. This creates problem of superheroes in teams.

This creates knowledge hoarding. Personal priorities takes over team common goals and team of teams objectives

Person dependency drags teams and teams causing the delays. Transformation will be successful only when organization encourage teams over individuals with personal agenda.

 

Stage 4: “We are great”

People are aligned with common values and collective goals and hold accountable for each other.

They form adhoc partnership to accomplish the important task at hand.

Healthy conflicts are common with free communication flow and knowledge sharing.

Good environment for transformation and establishing the stability, removing the silos encourages creativity

 

Stage 5: “Life is great”

Teams communication flows freely, discussions focused on innovation, ideas flow with and without filtrations.

Deliverables are predictable. Fail recovery is fast and successful. Tech and business work together to lead organization ahead of the market competition. Transformation expands to partners and other organizations. Teams embrace ri of shu-ha-ri

  

Based on 

TRIBAL LEADERSHIP by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright