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Greetings All,<br>
<br>
<br>
Wow what a thread. In the open space.<br>
<br>
<br>
I'm grateful to everyone who has replied to Birgitt's inquiry here
so far. <br>
<br>
<br>
Birgitt asks: how we can reconcile Open Space with Agile practices?
<br>
<br>
<br>
More specifically, Birgitt asks, how we can reconcile the holistic
nature of Open Space with the reductionist nature of Agile
practices?<br>
<br>
<br>
The answer is very simple: use a humane approach. Use OpenSpace
Agility. Or better if you find it.<br>
<br>
<br>
In OSA, we do require something of those formally authorized
leaders. <br>
<br>
<br>
We do require that they exercise their authority, to name a clear <i>direction</i>,
like this: <br>
<br>
<br>
"...our direction is Agile... in service to continuous improvement."<br>
<br>
<br>
Next, in OSA we also require that those authority figures clearly
define the "guardrails." The <i>limits</i>. The very <i>rules</i>
of the game. In very <i>EXPLICIT</i> terms. So everyone can be <i>SAFE</i>
in this common knowledge, of the <i>limits</i>. <br>
<br>
<br>
The guardrails in OSA are the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto:
<br>
Link: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html">http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html</a><br>
<br>
<br>
Teams learn the 12 principles. They then conduct EXPERIMENTS with
practices, within the wider context of the clearly defined
direction, and those clearly defined guardrails. <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Importantly, this next part is KEY: It is absolutely ESSENTIAL:
Leaders refrain from pushing or mandating or coercing specific
practices. <br>
<br>
Because that's totally evil, OK? <br>
<br>
Because it KILLS any potential for genuine self-organization, for
genuine self-management, and for genuine higher performance. <br>
<br>
Because it's a fraud.<br>
<br>
<br>
In OSA, leaders simply do not do this. <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
The mandate of practices truly is truly a form of cruelty. It causes
real suffering. <br>
<br>
<br>
Martin Fowler, an Agile Manifesto signatory, said as much in 2006. <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
The Agile Imposition- A 2006 essay from Martin Fowler. Quotes: <br>
<br>
<br>
“…Imposing a process on a team is <u><b>completely opposed to the
principles of agile</b></u> software, and has been since its
inception..”<br>
<br>
<br>
“…Imposing an agile process from the outside <b><u>strips the team
of the self-determination which is at the heart of agile</u></b>
thinking.”
<br>
<br>
<br>
“… imposing agile methods introduces a <b><u>conflict with the
values and principles that underlie agile methods</u></b>.”<br>
<br>
<br>
“…I’d rather have a team work in a non-agile manner <u><b>they
chose themselves</b></u> than have my favorite agile practices
imposed upon them.”<br>
<br>
<br>
“…So I hope I’ve made clear that <b><u>imposing agile methods is a
very red flag.</u></b> ”-Martin Fowler, Agile Manifesto
signatory. Written 2006, the “Agile Imposition” blog post, Martin
Fowler<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Wait. You can respectfully disagree with this wisdom if you want. <br>
<br>
But if you do, I respectfully submit that YOU are part of the wider
problem. <br>
<br>
I submit that YOU are in fact an enabler, and enabler of suffering.
And some very low performance thereby. <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Here is a very fine example of the very real suffering that happens
if you PUSH Agile practices on people, without their consent:<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://tech.mit.edu/V136/N3/istfeature.html">http://tech.mit.edu/V136/N3/istfeature.html</a><br>
"The sweeping 'Agile transformation' that is currently underway at
MIT’s Information Systems and Technology office is one that is
unprecedented in its scope and backlash from employees...."<br>
<br>
...the comments at the bottom are like, people just literally crying
out in pain. (You might want to skip to the bottom to examine
these.)<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
So Harrison, there you go. Could it be?<br>
<br>
"...Could it then be that SCRUMMING is working much too hard? Might
it be better to carefully note and study what we can do naturally
before trying to improve it? We could then take all that as a "base"
-- and who knows where we might end up?"<br>
<br>
<br>
Hell yes! I join you. Let's find out.<br>
<br>
And that why thereis no mandate of Scrum or any other practice in
OSA. Right? Because it makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. <br>
<br>
Because doing so is in complete opposition to the values and
principles (and in fact the very spirit) of the thing. <br>
<br>
In the open space.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Things can quickly get corrupted, and unravel. So in OSA, we have
and hold a very strict ethos, the intent of which is to make sure
the OSA method never gets diluted, polluted or corrupted, so that no
one, anywhere, ever, is harmed by it: <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<BEGIN><br>
<big><big>"Attempting to use invitation (and specifically the
inviting Open Space meeting format) to persuade, convince, or
otherwise <em>influence anyone to do anything in an Agile
adoption without their explicit consent</em> is <em><strong>not</strong></em>
in alignment with the spirit, purposes and intent of the
OpenSpace Agility technique."</big></big> Reference link:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://openspaceagility.com/about/">http://openspaceagility.com/about/</a><br>
<END><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Still dubious?<br>
<br>
<br>
OK. What I am about to say next is as serious as a heart attack: <br>
<br>
<big><big>Authority figures in the Agile community who are entirely
SILENT on this issue of mandated-Agile-practices are literally
part of the problem. Perhaps THE problem. <br>
<br>
The deafening silence of authority figures enables and
perpetuates this problem, which has now become an epidemic
worldwide.</big></big><br>
<br>
<br>
Instead of exercising their authority in the community to DEVALUE
the horrific mandate of practices, and thereby improve conditions,
these authority figures are in fact suggesting, through their
silence, that the mandate is good. That the illness is health. That
coercion is goodness. That it is wholeness. <br>
<br>
That it is great!<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
As Birgitt has clearly pointed out, silence is very much a form of
consent. <br>
<br>
I join Birgitt and say YES-- especially the silence of real
authority figures in a group. That's real consent right there.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
BIrgitt and many others on this thread point out that the leaders in
a group (those that hold the real authority) are absolutely
essential in sustaining any ongoing, legitimate, authentic
transformation. <br>
<br>
<br>
And no where is this more true than in the Agile community, where
coercive PUSH is routinely validated by authority figures, through
their silence. Through their tacit consent. Even as the value of
"pull" is exclaimed as a high Agile virtue.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
The good news is that there is probably IS a path forward. <br>
<br>
It has something to do with the emergence of a new narrative. <br>
<br>
Something to do with new voices.<br>
<br>
Something about the telling a new story.<br>
<br>
A story about teaching and celebrating the humanity of invitation...
OVER mandates. <br>
<br>
About the humanity of opt-in participation... OVER coercion. <br>
<br>
And about the virtue, and the thrill, and the humanity, of authentic
<i>experimentation</i>-- the kind of experimentation which is at the
very heart of Agile thinking.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Now to be clear, I suspect that there is absolutely nothing to do.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Or at least, one less thing to do.<br>
<br>
In the open space.<br>
<br>
Daniel <br>
<br>
<br>
Reference link:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.openspaceagility.com">www.openspaceagility.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/8/16 6:35 PM, Harold Shinsato via
OSList wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:56DF61C7.6080408@shinsato.com" type="cite">
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Thank you so much for posting about this topic, Harrison!<br>
<br>
And I'm so grateful for hearing Birgitt's tale. It has opened my
mind, and heart.<br>
<br>
If you didn't hear this story from Daniel, I'll offer it here. It
is my own *PAINFUL* experience with Capital A "Agile" in software
development. There is a huge amount of discontent in the Agile
space, even as it continues to grow and obtain mind share. Part of
the way that Daniel phrases it (and I do too) is that Mandated
Agile is very bad. Deadly. It crushes engagement. I think it has
also been crushing the true spirit of Agile.<br>
<br>
And what Birgitt is offering from her experience is amazing. I
feel humbled to have not recognized how applicable her story has
been to what I've been trying to work on with helping
organizations. But perhaps it has been my own journey especially
the last month that has awakened me so much more to Birgitt's
phenomenal work. I have ordered her book from Amazon (The Genuine
Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership). And I hope to
get to one of these workshops soon as well.<br>
<br>
For me - "Open Space Technology" - the tool - is amazing.
Resilient. But the "Tool" is not the point. The point is "open
space". Our innate humanity is what is opened in a good OS event.
That's why it's true - the biggest Axiom of all in this work -
"it's all open space"!<br>
<br>
While I'm offering praise and thanks - I'd like to add Diana
Larsen to the mix. Her work at finding the real connection to the
Spirit of Agile - in connecting Agile to Open Space - has been a
huge influence on me. The AgileOpen program as supported by the
Agile Alliance has brought Agile coaches, practitioners, and
learners together in Open Space in cities around the world for 10
years now. It was only at two Agile Open events this year - one in
Seattle and one in San Diego - that I've started to understand at
an even deeper the powerful people element at the heart of Agile.
It's right there in the manifesto - but it continues to be taken
to greater lengths by practitioners and explorers in the Agile
space.<br>
<br>
Perhaps a couple elements in the Agile space that resonate deeply
(beyond of course the wonderful OpenSpace Agility) are the work
around "Mob Programming" and "#NoEstimates". Explaining these two
things are way beyond the scope of this thread - but returning
what Birgitt speaks to - it is how important are the holistic
elements of our connection to each other take us beyond any
particular process. Encouraging leadership in our community - not
just the formal management - is what makes things like "Mobbing"
(multiple people working together at one computer and one
keyboard), and "#NoEstimates" (which is never promising what we
don't really understand but instead focus on continuous delivery
of value).<br>
<br>
These newer evolutions of Agility - do indeed maybe make
"Scrumming" working too hard. Though I do think Scrum can be
helpful, the process was never what made Agile truly Agile.
"Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools"!!!<br>
<br>
Warm regards,<br>
Harold<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/8/16 1:03 PM, Harrison Owen via
OSList wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:004201d17975$98234d80$c869e880$@net"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">the middle of all that... but I do have some thoughts about Agile and Open Space.
I get that Dan and many others understand Open Space to be a useful tool/mechanism/means for "Agile Introduction." Agile Introduction, is of course, magic words for the initiated and obscure for some of the rest of us... Be that as it may... I agree. It works. AND....
Just to be a little provocative.... I might suggest that Open Space is not the tool (means, mechanism), but the context. Of course I should probably remove the capitals and just do "os" -- pointing to what for me is "the magic sauce." That would be the process of Self Organization. Or as I said (sort of) in some other place: Real Agility is the fully conscious and intentional realization of the power of self organization. So open space (small o, s) is simply the context in which everything happens. And things work much better (agile, effective, efficient, etc) when we cheerfully align ourselves with the way things are -- as opposed to "fighting the system" to make it the way we think it should be.
Could it then be that SCRUMMING is working much too hard? Might it be better to carefully note and study what we can do naturally before trying to improve it? We could then take all that as a "base" -- and who knows where we might end up?
Harrison
Winter Address
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Harold Shinsato<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:harold@shinsato.com">harold@shinsato.com</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://shinsato.com">http://shinsato.com</a><br>
twitter: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://twitter.com/hajush">@hajush</a></div>
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</blockquote>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Daniel Mezick<br>
Culture Strategist. Author. Keynoter.<br>
(203) 915 7248.
<a href="http://www.DanielMezick.com/"> Bio.</a>
<a href="http://www.NewTechUSA.net/blog/">Blog.</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/DanielMezick">Twitter.</a>
<br>
Book: <a href="http://theculturegame.com/">The Culture Game.</a>
<br>
Book: <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/OpenSpace-Agility-Handbook-Daniel-Mezick/dp/0984875336">The
OpenSpace Agility Handbook.</a>
<br>
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