Ugly heads of the dysfunctional Agile organization
Leo Tolstoy, "All successful companies are successful for different reasons, but dysfunctional companies are dysfunctional in the same way".
In my experience, the main reason for poor Agile performance is not the lack of domain knowledge, but rather organizational dysfunctions and lack of will to address these dysfunctions.
Since we can't really solve a problem without identifying it first, here are few signs of a dysfunctional company:
1. Everyone is in constant crisis mode
The Agile teams spend most of their time on "firefighting" instead of proactive planning for next-generation products and services. Organizations cannot survive in a continuous crisis mode. Management must either provide breaks in the crisis or else develop established processes for handling day-to-day requirements, without merely applying more pressure to workers.
2. Two approaches to deliver Agile projects
Many dysfunctional organizations have two or more ways of delivering projects. First is the “normal” way, where the team is following an established process. The second approach is called "all hands on". This approach is usually initiated when someone, typically an ex-developer who is now in a higher position, takes control over a project and orders the team to disregard all best practices, process, and rules so they can release "something on time".
Usually, the end results are dreadful. The team has put in a lot of overtime and delivered software with only the subset of planned functionality and dismal quality. Often, the software delivered will need to be completely redesigned due to such bad implementation. Despite all this, the particular person that has taken control of the project is hailed as hero and savior. At same time, people that are trying to do things correctly are marginalized.
3. Stay-the-course despite all warnings
Many organizations are locked into this form of insanity. No matter how many experts urge managers to make changes, produce paradigm shifts or pursue different approaches, things stay the same because mid management or sometimes even VP’s don’t want to acknowledge that some high priority idea is wrong.
4. Organizational Ignorance
It’s amazing in dysfunctional organizations how many people are just clueless and don’t get it.
I was always thinking that these people are so much into their selves that they don’t want to look around and realize they are making mistakes. Eventually, I read research that explained that many people were physically unable to perceive data that didn’t agree with their pre-established ideas.
Now I understand that many of my managers and co-workers are encountering similar difficulties. :) Good organizations have people that are open to reality and capable of understanding new ideas and incorporating these findings in their own products.
5. We suck less
These kind of dysfunctional organizations usually find someone that is in a worse position than they are “We might be very bad in Agile, but we are still better than many other organizations.”
Or they compare themselves to their former process, "We’re better than we used to be – at least we’re moving in the right direction," even though the new process is basically completely waterfall with just smaller tweaks.
The problem with this type of dysfunction is that organizations ignore the fact that we should always work and strive to improve. It’s easy for all of us to fool ourselves by comparing our organization to other, more dysfunctional organizations.
Organizations should feel good about their relative successes, but should always strive for absolute success.
6. Segmented morals
An example of segmented morals might be: “Expansion to Agile transition is one of our main goals… That’s why we’re lowering the budget for Agile expansion and laying off our current Agile coaches.”
Healthy organizations have a set of values and a behavioral culture that is consistent--where “do as I say” and “do as I do” formal and informal messages are in agreement.
7. Multi-class society
We are all working as a team, but the signs of a multi-class society are everywhere. Management and Product Owners receive executive stock bonuses, the Yearly Performance Evaluation is structured only towards an individual’s goals and not team goals and only “chosen people” can sit in cubicles next to a window.
Successful organizations usually have a system in place that will share, based on role bonuses to all team members, and their Yearly Performance Evaluation includes team goals.
8. Warring factions
You hear it all the time: "There's a natural tension between development and operations," or "Come on, everybody hates Tech Ops," like it's an inevitable feud between warring factions.
There's nothing natural or inevitable about it. It's dysfunctional, it's divisive and it fosters rivalry instead of alignment.
9. Special pet projects
These projects are usually owned by an executive. They are never prioritized based on business needs, they are immune to any criticism and they do not follow the company's standard processes. Also, they are usually full of assumptions that are never validated and they continue to be funded long after they shouldn't be.
So what to do if you are in Dysfunctional Organization?
Look for some of dysfunctional signs and identify people that will actively work on resolving these dysfunctions. Ideally, identify people early on who proactively work toward sustainment of these dysfunctions. I know this sounds surprising, but there are personalities who do well in dysfunctional organizations, and they are those who do damage to the organizations the most.
Outline strategic goals and have all teams across the organization align and work closely together toward these goals. Any other process, project or event that is not closely supporting your strategic goals is a waste, and it should be treated as that.
In other words, let your goals and strategic alignment, where an organization is rowing in the same direction, work for you toward removing dysfunctions. Just imagine the force and speed when all are rowing in the same direction, and imagine the impact they can make toward achieving goals and removing dysfunctions.
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