A systems approach to modern leadership - Agile2015

A Systems Approach to Modern Leadership

with Matt Barcomb @mattbarcomb

1. Embrace uncertainty 2. Consider the whole 3. Design experiments

(with some activities)

@mattbarcomb

@mattbarcomb

Partner?

Pursue something passionately!!!

…but don't take anything too seriously ;-)

The “meh” principle

@mattbarcomb

People-systems are made up of “parts” that are simultaneously parts of multiple systems

People-systems are made up of “parts” that are continuously contextually variable

Challenges for leaders (part 1)

@mattbarcomb

Embrace Uncertainty

Purposeful Directional Goals

Focus on “Probleming”

Enabling Constraints

@mattbarcomb

Goals & Constraints

How

What

Why

@mattbarcomb

4 Ws Problem Statement

Who?What?

Why?When?

@mattbarcomb

A lot of effort is spent on improving the individual parts within the system

Desired behaviors or outcomes are not supported by the entire system

Very little effort is spent improving connections and influences among the parts

Challenges for leaders (part 2)

@mattbarcomb

Consider the Whole

Boundaries

Parts

Connections

@mattbarcomb

First we determined boundaries

Whole  Org

Prod  Dept

Dev  Team

Draw the boundaries in your system.

@mattbarcomb

Whole  Org

Prod  Dept

Dev  Team

Exec  Team

HRSales

Support

Finance

Sherri  CTO

Team  Wombat Team  

Xerces

PMO

Colleen  PjM

Adam  ArchOps

Mark  DevMgr

Devs

Tom  BA Testers

Alice  Lead

Next we identified significant parts

Draw the parts in your system.

@mattbarcomb

Whole  Org

Prod  Dept

Dev  Team

Exec  Team

HRSales

Support

Finance

Sherri  CTO

Team  Wombat Team  

Xerces

PMO

Colleen  PjM

Adam  ArchOps

Mark  DevMgr

Devs

Tom  BA Testers

Alice  Lead

Then we added reporting connections

Draw the reporting connections in your system.

@mattbarcomb

Whole  Org

Prod  Dept

Dev  Team

Exec  Team

HRSales

Support

Finance

Sherri  CTO

Team  Wombat Team  

Xerces

PMO

Colleen  PjM

Adam  ArchOps

Mark  DevMgr

Devs

Tom  BA Testers

Alice  Lead

Then we added workflow connections

Draw the workflow connections in your system.

@mattbarcomb

Whole  Org

Prod  Dept

Dev  Team

Exec  Team

HRSales

Support

Finance

Sherri  CTO

Team  Wombat Team  

Xerces

PMO

Colleen  PjM

Adam  ArchOps

Mark  DevMgr

Devs

Tom  BA Testers

Alice  Lead

Then we added influence connections

Draw the influence connections in your system.

@mattbarcomb

Changing people-systems will create unintended outcomes

All the outcomes from a change to apeople-system are impossible to predict

Challenges for leaders (part 3)

@mattbarcomb

Experiment Design

Hypothesis

Experiment

Measurement

@mattbarcomb

Brainstorm Hypotheses

Simplify Amplify

Modify Complexify

@mattbarcomb

Design an experiment

Target Actual

@mattbarcomb

SensingStarting Conditions

Stopping Conditions

Let me sum up

Provide alignment through intent

Spend time understanding problems

Influence connections between parts

Create an ecosystem of emergence

Employ a scientific approach

Questions?

Matt Barcomb @mattbarcomb [email protected]